Away from the Emperor's Shadow
by Girlonfirebetch
Summary: Hayakawa Akira was born in a wealthy family, being the daughter of the famous former NBA player and Japanese national player-turned-successful entrepreneur Hayakawa Daisuke. However, her father had terribly wanted a son to follow in his glorious basketball career. She's then engaged to the son of her father's best friend but he seems more like a rival than a fiance to her.AkashiXoc
1. Chapter 1

**After watching KnB, I felt the urge to write yet another fanfic! Since I've decided to follow the Japanese way of introducing names, the surname will precede their given name. Anyway yeah, I don't own Kuroko no Basket, its characters or copyright. I do own some figurines xD. hehee... pls enjoy. I hope...**

 **Chapter 1 –** ** _The first meeting_**

"Sei-kun, come here. There's someone I'd like you to meet"

A woman's sweet voice fills the air. A little boy with red hair, about 6 years old, turns around to run to the woman. He saw the woman holding a little girl's hand. She looked his age with shining silver hair adorning her head.

"Who is she, oka-san?" the boy asked with much curiosity. _Who was this girl who had his mother's hand?_

"This is uncle Daisuke's daughter, Akira-chan" she smiled.

The Hayakawa sports corporation was working in partnership with Akashi Co., and both men had been good friends since their days at Rakuzan high school.

"Why don't you two get to know each other? Akira, I'll leave you with Sei-kun for a bit okay?" The woman smiled and walked away to give the two children some time alone.

"Good morning. My name is Akashi Seijuro" the boy introduced himself with a smile as he held his hand out.

The girl looked at him and shook his hand nervously. "H-Haya-kawa Akira. N-nice to meet you" she stammered while her tiny hands nervously held on to her skirts.

For a few minutes, they stood there facing each other without a word until Seijuro finally thought of something.

They were in the backyard of the Akashi mansion and Seijuro decided to play shogi with Akira. He brought her up to his room where there indeed, lay a shogi board on the floor. To her dismay, Akira had no idea how shogi was played and she lost terribly.

"I'm sorry. I've never played before"

"That's all right! Why don't we do something else?"

"…."

"Is there anything in particular you like doing?"

"I-I like baking cookies" the girl smiled nervously, for the first time since their meeting. "My grandma taught me"

Seijuro was practically excellent in everything he did, but cooking was not one of them. He hated working in the kitchen but today, he decided to give it a try to make Akira happy.

 _~ the next week~_

"Oka-san! Akira-chan is in the same class as me in school!" Seijuro cried out, bursting in his mother's room

"Oh? You seem so happy. That's great. I'm glad you two are friends" Shiori smiled at her son and patted his head

"Uh-huh, and we're even seated next to each other" Seijuro said with a wide grin on his face

They had only spent a couple of days together and it seemed Seijuro and Akira were already getting fond of each other. After school, they'd go over to each other's houses and play or Shiori would take them to eat out.

One day, Daisuke was home from a business trip and he came across Seijuro and Akira. Akira, despite being the daughter, was relatively shy towards her father. She could feel heaviness around him when they were together. Seijuro on the other hand, was close to Daisuke as he was an avid fan of basketball.

"Uncle! It's nice to see you again!" Seijuro smiled and ran to embrace the 6'3" man

"It's great to see you too Seijuro" the man smiled and patted the little boy's head.

Meanwhile, Akira stood back to watch as they bonded like father and son. Because Seijuro's father was strict towards him, he usually ran to Daisuke for relief, aside from his own mother. Akira looked as her father smiled only to Seijuro and seemed to ignore her presence.

"G-good afternoon oto-san" she greeted nervously

"What do you say Seijuro, up for a game of basketball tomorrow? I've got free time" Daisuke smiled, ignoring Akira's greeting whether he heard it or not.

"All right!" Seijuro jumped with joy. "I'll show you my new move, uncle"

Daisuke laughed and ruffled Seijuro's hair one more time before standing back up. He walked past Akira without even bothering to look her in the eye. Akira cowered to herself as her father's shadow gloomed over her.

Seijuro had obviously received more attention from Daisuke than Akira had ever had but she didn't hate either one of them. In her own little ways, be it in class or in her track-and-field, she did her best to make her father proud. However, her efforts seemed to be overshadowed by Seijuro's brilliance. In class, she was always second to him. In basketball, she had no talent at all despite being the daughter of a famous basketball player. When it came to music, her piano was usually made to accompany Seijuro's violin performances. She was his shadow.

 _one year later_

In their long table, Masaomi and Shiori sat to discuss matters with Daisuke. This was both business and personal.

"Daisuke, we've been friends since high school" Masaomi started. ", and now we're partners in the business field. Of course, I was never the prodigy in basketball like you, but-"

"Hey, hey now. You were always top of class" Daisuke teased.

"You jerk" he laughed. Somehow, this was becoming more of a chat than a business discussion. "Anyway, I've been training my son to be a worthy heir to the Akashi business and Shiori and I were hoping that he'd be tied to someone we know very well"

"Of course since your family's a big name, no ordinary girl for Seijuro would suffice" Daisuke added.

"Indeed. It would be best to keep our partnership intact and to avoid any outside powers possibly penetrating, we propose that Seijuro be engaged to Akira."

Daisuke nearly choked on his drink when he heard this. He didn't mind having such a wonderful son-in-law, but he wasn't so sure Akira was even fit to run his business. She had no guts and talent when it came to business. However, he had also wanted someone he could trust to carry along the business.

"Are you saying, to unify our industries, Seijuro and Akira must be married?"

"I-If you're not ok with that Hayakawa-kun, we're not forcing you into it" Shiori interrupted, waving her hands. "But, I do like Akira-chan for our Sei-kun"

"Daisuke, Akira's from a well-off family and I'm sure you've brought her up to be worthy of Seijuro. Besides, we'd be more comfortable if our son married somebody we know" Masaomi added.

Daisuke paused for a minute before sipping from his drink and smiling. "I've got nothing against it. So it's decided then. Our children are now engaged"

 **My dear readers... this chap may first seem boring, but I hope you do follow and carry on reading this story.**

 **PS: I still haven't abandoned my Slam Dunk fics. I shall carry on until my last breath xD**

 **Reviews and comments :***


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – We're engaged? What does that mean?**

Akira and Seijuro were summoned to the long table were their parents had been discussing. They had just finished playing at the garden when the butler came to call them.

"Oka-san? Oto-san? Why did you and uncle call us?" Seijuro asked as politely as he had been trained. Akira was quiet. She was already trembling from her father's gaze.

"Sei-kun, you like Akira-chan right?" Shiori smiled.

"Of course I do! We like each other because we're best friends" the boy replied, not seeming to fully understand what his mother had meant.

"Akira-chan, Sei-kun, you two are engaged. Do you understand what that means?"

"It means you two are bound to each other and are to get married in the future" Masaomi explained bluntly although Shiori gave him a scolding glare because she had wanted to be the one to explain.

"Is it like when we play house and Akira's always the mommy while I'm the daddy? We make Mr. Teddy and Ms. Pots our babies" Seijuro grinned innocently.

Akira was quiet the whole. She too thought that being engaged was like playing house. She looked at her father and then to Shiori before smiling. "I like Sei-kun"

For some strange reason, Seijuro blushed when he heard Akira say she liked him. He didn't blush when he earlier declared they liked each other though.

 _three years later_

Now in the fifth grade, Akira and Seijuro seemed to have understood a little of what being engaged was all about. Seijuro grew protective of Akira and he'd suddenly feel a slight tinge of jealousy when guys would talk to Akira. He became more controlling and imposing towards Akira, while she (Akira) began feeling nervous whenever they were alone together.

Seijuro was slowly changing into a colder person. After his mother's death, Masaomi grew stricter with Seijuro and Seijuro grew colder towards everyone.

One Sunday afternoon while having tea over a shogi session, Akira mustered the courage to finally speak up against Seijuro.

"Seijuro, it seems that something's changed about you"

Seijuro put his fork down gently and looked at Akira's eyes – his bright crimson ones clashing with her grey eyes. He said nothing and simply smiled.

"That's exactly what I mean" she said in response to his snicker.

"I think you're simply overthinking things, Akira. I feel no difference at all"

Akira observed as Seijuro calmly sipped his teacup. Even his movements and behavior had changed.

"Why don't we go for a walk to ease your thoughts?" Seijuro suggested, standing from his chair. Although, he sounded more like he was ordering her to walk with him.

Akira thought of no objections and followed suit. They went out to the garden, which was a massive amount of space. The Akashi garden was perfectly landscaped with wide plane of grass and a few flowerbeds of different flowers. There was a fountain in the middle of it all, and a marble statue standing over it. They walked along the stone pathway leading to the greenhouse.

Inside the greenhouse were even more flowering plants: roses, lavenders and orchids. Akashi Shiori had tended to these plants herself when she wasn't so busy.

"By the way Akira," Seijuro's cold voice began. "I think that Igarashi Takeo boy is getting too close to you"

"What are you talking about? We're just friends and he needed some help with his science homework" Akira defended herself, shocked at Seijuro's statement.

"I don't like it. You're wasting your time helping that idiot. Don't talk to him"

"What? Seijuro, you can't tell me what to do!"

"We're already engaged," his eyes seemed to glare at her. "And my orders are absolute"

With those last words echoing in Akira's head, Seijuro walked out of the greenhouse and told her to follow quickly. Akira was still in a state of shock when she heard him say his orders were absolute. _Orders? Absolute? Who the heck was he?_

"Akira? What's taking you so long? Hurry…"

His voice echoed in the greenhouse. She felt nothing else but the strange urge to follow his orders.

Graduation day came that April of their last year in elementary school. The bloom of the cherry blossoms where meeting with the melting snow from winter. Akashi Seijuro was class valedictorian while Akira was second behind him. While the students grouped together to chat with their friends for probably the last time before heading to different middle schools, Seijuro caught a glimpse of Akira with a few of their classmates.

"Congrats Hayakawa-san" Igarashi Takeo blushed and shook Akira's hand.

"Not as good as Seijuro, but thanks Igarashi-kun" she smiled back.

"Uhm, which middle school are you attending?"

"Suzaku Gakuen"

"Eh? You're not going to the same school as Akashi-kun?" asked one of the girls in the group

"No," Akira smiled and shook her head. "He's going to Teiko because of the basketball team"

The girls giggled when they mentioned Seijuro. He was quite popular but rather ignored everybody else. He was coming towards Akira's group when one of the girls saw him.

"Akashi-kun, congratulations! As expected from you" one girl blushed

"Thank you" he replied coldly with no interest. His current interest was pulling Akira out of the group. "Akira, we're going"

Akira waved uneasily to her friends as Seijuro pulled her away. Finally having some time away from the crowds, Akira grabbed her hand away from his.

"What's wrong with you?! I was still talking to my friends" Akira spoke up, enraged for the first time.

"Did I not tell you to stop talking to that Takeo?"

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You're not my mother!"

For the first time in her life, she was angry. He was becoming too imposing and she couldn't handle it anymore. Before she could say anything else, Seijuro grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.

"I'm your fiancé and you are subjected to listen to me," he said coldly and calmly, "besides, you wouldn't know what it's like to have a mother" his crimson eyes glared.

Akira felt her knees shaking. She didn't know whether she was sad or angry now but she felt she wanted to hit him so badly. And all of a sudden, she felt her hand rising and slowly swinging towards his face. A large hand landed on her wrist, pulling her hand away and she heard the outraged voice of her father.

"AKIRA! Are you disobeying Seijuro's orders?!"

Frightened, Akira turned to look at her father who had tightened his grip on her arm. She was shocked that he would defend Seijuro over her. "Oto-san?"

"You have no right to call me your father when you can't obey even simple orders"

It was then and there she knew it. She was such a disappointment to her father, having been born a girl when he had desperately wanted a son. She had also felt the blame of her mother's death as she had died two weeks after Akira's birth. She felt alone in the world. Seijuro, who once felt like her best friend and closest family, now seemed like her greatest rival. That night, she cried alone in her room.

 **Gaaaah sorry about that. Hahaha hope this one didn't suck too much. I actually had fun making this fanfic, wanna try making Akashi Seijuro a bit OOC later in the future chappies. xD commentxfollow hahaha. Arigato *bows***


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay minna... I'm really sorry about the glitch with this chap earlier. Here's the fixed one :)**

 **Chapter 3 – middle school; I'm my own person**

During her middle school years, Akira decided to move in with her grandmother because she lived closer to the school. Her father didn't mind at all. He seemed to have given up hope in Akira.

In contrast with her father, Akira's grandmother adored her. She was widowed when Daisuke was only in middle school and she basically raised him and his two older brothers by herself. She adored Akira because she was the first girl born in the Hayakawa household for four generations and considered her the family's lucky charm.

"Aki-chan! I'm so glad you've decided to live with me!" her grandmother, despite being in her early 70s, ran to greet her at the front gate with much enthusiasm.

Grandma Sawako was already 72 years old but she had the energy of a woman in her 30s. Having kept herself busy running her restaurant, she sure maintained a youthful energy.

"Oba-san, I missed you so much!" she dropped her bags and ran into her grandmother's open arms.

Suzaku Gakuen was a prestigious private middle school. Many of the students were sons and daughters from well-off families and a few scholars were accepted. In Suzaku, away from Seijuro and her father, Akira seemed to blossom and excel. For the first time in her life, she was no shadow. She made plenty of friends, was nominated for student council and topped exams.

In her second year in middle school, just after April, Akira received a letter from Seijuro. In the new era of calls, texts ad emails, Seijuro remained sending handwritten letters to her. In his latest letter;

 _Akira,_

 _I noticed you haven't returned most of my mails. I wish you knew how much effort it took to write and send the mail._

 _Putting that aside, how are you? Are you still into track-and-field? Uncle does not tell me much about how you are other than the fact that you're living with Oba-san. How's school? I'm currently vice captain of Teiko's basketball team. You should drop by to visit sometime. I'd like you to meet my teammates…_

A vein popped out of Akira's forehead and she felt like crumpling the piece of paper. "That aho, is he showing off?" She read on…

… _That aside, I hope you and uncle have patched things up. Well I don't expect to receive a reply soon but I do wish to read even just a single letter from you._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Seijuro_

Akira inserted the letter back to its envelope and she quickly pulled out a pad paper and pen, began writing down her own letter;

 _Seijuro,_

 _Sorry I haven't been replying to your letters in a while. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the effort but I'm no good in writing letters as you are._

 _So you ask about school? Well I wouldn't be surprise if Oto-san knew so little of what I do. I'm in the track-and-field team. I've represented Suzaku in the 100m sprint and 100m hurdles for regionals. Thankfully, I qualified for 100m hurdles along with four other events from the girls. The guys are excellent too! This guy, Mikoshiba Ken broke the record for 100m sprint. He's super amazing and friendly too. Oto-san didn't watch, but grandma did. I'm also the secretary for student council…_

She paused for a moment, a smirk appearing on her face. "You're not the only one who's doing well Seijuro. I'll prove to you and oto-san that I can be just as good. Maybe even better". She returned to writing, refusing to stop to think.

 _… I finished top three in last year's proficiency exams so I'm aiming to be number one for this year. I'm not too sure I can visit_

 _Tokyo often. Osaka's quite far and besides, I'm busy. Our school festival is coming soon and I've been assigned as class rep. I guess I'll see you for the holidays._

 _Before I forget, congratulations on winning the nationals last year. You think you guys will can win again this year?_

Akira sealed the letter inside an envelope and left it on her desk. It was dinner time and Oba-san had invited guests again.

"Aki-chaaaan!"

Akira turned around to see who the cute and high-pitched voice belonged to. "Mayumi-chan, what's wrong?"

"NOTHING!" the girl perked up and jumped on Akira. "I wanna eat lunch with you! Let's go!"

Away from Seijuro, Akira had finally made a lot of friends and Ozora Mayumi was her closest one. The two met during track tryouts. Despite being only 5 feet, the two of them were fast and easily made it to the team. Mayumi specialized in pole vault.

"Hey Aki-chan, treat me to your grandma's restaurant again. I love her cooking"

"If I do, you'll send me home broke"

"Eh? But you're obviously from a wealthy family. I can tell"

"Maybe if we win nationals, I'll treat you to a whole buffet!"

Student council work, track practice, committee meetings and academics, Akira was juggling a lot at the same time but she managed to make it without hurting her grades. Because she grew up basically being coldshouldered by her own father over Seijuro's achievements, she grew competitive.

The nationals for track-and field was held in Ikkebukuro so Akira decided to pay Seijuro a visit since it was only a train ride away from Teiko. She remembered that the nationals for middle school basketball was also beginning at that time.

"Aki-chan, take me with you! I wanna see that Akashi friend of yours"

"Fine but don't go buying too many things along the way"

They had arrived at the stadium where the games were being held. Surprisingly for a middle-school tournament, there were plenty of spectators. Banners from different schools were up and the cheers were loud. The two teams were coming up.

"Eh?! That's Teiko's team right? Which one's Akashi-kun?!" Mayumi pointed and searched the team for someone who seemed like Akashi to her. She was getting excited, as she usually was.

"Is that him? The handsome blonde?"

"No. He's the red-head wearing the number 4 jersey" Akira replied, looking at Seijuro

"Nani?! He's the captain already?! Wow he looks kawai"

The game, despite being in the nationals, seemed one-sided. Teiko was taking a 2-digit lead and they were on fire. Akira scanned the crowd and was shocked to see her father sitting on the VIP stands with Seijuro's father. She felt her heart sink while watching him looking pleased with Seijuro.

 _flashback to one week ago_

 _The phone finally picked up after several rings._

 _"Hayakawa Daisuke's office, do you have an appointment?" the all too familiar voice of the beautiful secretary picked up._

 _"Uhm, no I don't but I was wondering if I could speak to oto-san" Akira asked softly, as if she were afraid of something._

 _"Akira-san? Oh it's you. Hold on, I'll connect you to his line. I think his meeting's not started yet"_

 _"Arigato"_

 _She waited for minutes and minutes until finally, the phone clicked again._

 _"Oto-san?!" she jumped in excitement._

 _"I'm sorry Akira-san but he says he's busy. If you'd like, I can relay the message"_

 _This wasn't new to Akira. She was used to it already but somehow, today, she thought he might actually reconsider._

 _"Sorry. Just tell him that I'll be competing at nationals for track-and-field and I'd really appreciate it if he could come watch" she sighed and held back her tears, "even just for once"_

 _"Don't worry, I'll tell him as soon as possible" the secretary smiled, as if Akira could actually see her smiling. "And good luck. Do your best!"_

 _"Arigato"_

 _end of flashback_

Akira's head fell and she started sobbing. Mayumi quickly noticed and asked her what the problem was. Akashi and his team were winning so why was she crying?

"My father's watching his game" she sobbed, "but he never even came to see me once"

The sound of the buzzer rang and filled the court. Teiko had won 132-85 and the players thanked each other for the game. Daisuke and Masaomi stood up to clap along with the other VIPs. Her eyes followed Seijuro and the rest of the players as they exited. She felt her heart burning.

 **Uhm, so yeah... hope you dear readers carry on reading**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – It's been a while**

 **Ahaaa! here's yet anothe chappie :) things may be starting off slow or fast, or however you see it... ignore my note. Anyways, thanks for reading and putting up with this :D**

 **I do NOT own KnB nor will I ever... *cries***

Akashi Seijuro was walking the hallway of the stadium by himself. It seemed after their victory, everyone went their own ways. He wasn't alone for too long as a group of girls from Teiko came to him.

"You did well today, Akashi-kun" said one girl

"That's right! Teiko's sure to win this tournament again"

Seijuro only smiled, his red eyes brightened. "Thank you. I appreciate all the support you give for the team"

"Uhm, Akashi-kun, d-do you," one of the girls began blushing heavily. "D-do you have a girlfriend?"

Seijuro paused for a moment, he looked taken aback. Nobody in school knew that he was already engaged.

… ….. …

Akira and Mayumi walked past the vending machine, Mayumi treating her to a cold drink after her tears. Her eyes were quite puffy and her nose was still congested. As they made the turn, their eyes met – her grey eyes to his crimson ones. She saw him in the middle of the group of girls.

"Eh, who's that? She's wearing a tracksuit too" said one of the girls.

Seijuro returned his attention to the girls for one last time. "I don't have a girlfriend. I have a fiancé. Now if you'll excuse me for a moment, I've got to speak with her" He smiled and walked past them.

The girls, including Mayumi, were shocked as hell with what they heard. Akira quickly averted her gaze away from him as we walked towards her.

"My, my, what a surprise. I didn't expect you'd actually come to watch. What brings you here?"

Akira suddenly felt a different aura coming from him. He sounded different too.

"It's been a while, Akira"

There was momentary silence before Akira finally spoke, forcing a strained smile. "As expected of you indeed, you never fail to live up to the expectations of both our fathers" she said with slight sarcasm.

The girls were still in shock that Seijuro, at such a young age, was already engaged and to a pretty silver-haired lady at that. The two of them talked formally, keeping a distance of about 2ft. Akira was clenching her fist the whole time.

"Well I can't stay very long. Coach is expecting us to be at the hotel soon" Akira said, excusing herself from the conversation and looking over at Mayumi.

"That's right, the track team. Best wishes to Suzaku then"

Akira flinched when she heard him. He showed no sign of concern or interest and even sounded sarcastic when he offered his best wishes. She felt that the Akashi Seijuro standing in front of her was no one more than a selfish, unfeeling brat.

"See you around Seijuro" she waved him off and walked away, bumping into another player who wore the Teiko jersey. She excused herself and went off with Mayumi.

"Yo Akashicchi. Who was that cute girl just now?"

"A family friend – my fiancé" he replied coolly

"fiancé?!" his teammates gasped in shock.

Unfortunately, Akira didn't do as well as Seijuro during nationals. Her time barely made it to top 5 and she went home with a heavy heart. She was conflicted.

Upon reaching back to Osaka with grandmother, Akira relayed the whole situation and shocked her grandmother with her solution to the problem.

"There's no other way to show him. I'll quit track and join the girls' basketball team"

"Haaa?! Are you sure? You know, Daisuke's an idiot but you don't have to do that"

"I wanna beat Akashi Seijuro. I wanna play the sport which he and oto-san love so much"

The very next day at school, Akira passed her resignation form for the track team and joined the basketball team. Now she had only a few skills when it came to ball-handling but she was fast on court. Thanks to her hurdles training, she was a good jumper too. She wasn't immediately a starter but she managed to play in an official game. She had not made any shots but she was good at stealing the ball and running around the court. Getting rebounds wasn't much of a problem too.

One day during lunch, Mayumi brought up the topic on Akira's new career.

"You're really not coming back to the track team?" she asked, looking depressed

"I'm sorry about that" she smiled. "I know it was selfish of me but I must do this"

"Is basketball fun?"

"I used to hate it when Seijuro and I played because I never understood it. Despite a father who played for the national team, I had no talent at all"

"Well as long as you're happy, I'm happy too"

November was up and qualifiers for the winter cup was fast approaching. Akira dialed her father's direct line this time with her cellphone. In all good timing, he was having tea by himself in his office.

"Oto-san,"

There was silence… until his stern voice opened up. "What is it?"

"I've been a starter for Suzaku's girls' basketball team and we'll be playing the qualifiers in three weeks' time. I-"

"Don't you know how busy I am?!"

"But oto-san, can't you at least save one day-"

"I've got more important matters to deal with!"

"B-But you watched Seijuro play during the summer games"

Her voice started to shake. She was holding back the tears again.

"I thought that if I got into basketball, you'd finally notice me"

Silence…

Through the phone, Akira could hear the voice of the secretary ushering people into his office. Looks like another meeting… Before saying a word, Daisuke hung up on his daughter.

A knock came from outside her bedroom door. Sawako came in carrying a tray with neatly arranged food and a cup of tea. She placed the tray on Akira's study table and sat on her bedside.

"What did Daisuke say?" she asked, placing a hand on Akira's crouched back

"I wasn't surprised anymore" she giggled. "What the hell, who cares right?" Akira started laughing out loud like an idiot, mixed with tears.

"I'll talk to that idiot father of yours"

"No oba-san, don't. I'll show him what he's been missing instead"

 **Hey :D even hate comments are welcomed hahaha! have a good day**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5** **– My declaration: Just you wait and see**

Suzaku girls' basketball team had lost the in the qualifiers for the winter cup. Despite words of encouragement from her retiring seniors, Akira could do nothing but blame herself. _If only she had the same skills as her father_ …

It was finally the winter holidays and Akira traveled to Kyoto with her grandmother. There was a big business dinner with her father's and Akashi Masaomi's companies along with some partnering groups in three days. Akira didn't look too excited. Teiko had won the Winter Cup and her team didn't even make it to the cup. She knew her father would talk about nothing else but Seijuro's success while she had to wallow in her failure.

"You don't look excited dear" her grandmother whispered with concern

"Not really" she smiled honestly. "There's nothing new"

When they had arrived at the Hayakawa mansion, Akira and Sawako were greeted with the maids and butler. Akira hadn't gone back to the mansion since she started middle school so everyone was excited to see her again.

"Akira-sama welcome home!"

"Sawako-sama, welcome!"

The maids rushed to Akira and Sawako, helping them out with their luggage and leading them to the dining table where lunch was prepared by the cook. Akira loved the cook so much because he had also taught her some recipes. One of the maids then told her that Seijuro would be coming over for dinner.

"Have you gotten to see Seijuro-sama beforehand, Akira-sama?"

"I did. That was back during the nationals for middle school basketball"

Akira had spent Christmas in Osaka with her grandmother and some friends coming over. Now she was to spend New Year's at her family's home in Kyoto. To be honest, she didn't really miss Kyoto nor did she miss Seijuro at all.

"Where the heck is my son?" Sawako asked, straining a smile on her face. She was feeling pissed that Daisuke wasn't even at home to meet them

"S-Sawako-sama, Hayakawa-sama's still working" answered one of the maids nervously.

"Don't worry dear, I'm not mad at you. Anyway, I can't believe that idiot's still working at this time"

The doorbell rang and two maids rushed to get it. It was Seijuro who had just arrived with his chauffeur. Having been greeted and showed inside by the maids, Seijuro asked for Akira.

"Akira-sama is in her room upstairs. Please, feel free to see her"

Seijuro nodded and made his way upstairs. He was very much used to the mansion and found his way easily. He arrived at the door of her room and knocked. There was a loud thud before he heard footsteps rushing towards the door. Akira opened the door, panting.

"Wow you're early" she said

"Is that how you greet your fiancé? Well, I'm not surprised"

"I mean it's not sunset yet. Let's go play" she grabbed his hand and led him outside.

Seijuro was surprised to see her in basketball attire: a loose shirt and baggy shorts, with a basketball on her hand. He had not known that she had quit the track team to join the girls' basketball team. While they were had reached Daisuke's personal court, Seijuro dropped the question.

"When did you start playing basketball?" he asked

"After we lost at nationals for track," Akira smiled away, "I thought maybe I'd try my luck at basketball"

"You think basketball's all about luck?"

"No. I meant that I wanted to know how I'd do in B-ball. Would I be ever good enough to challenge you?"

Seijuro looked at Akira's burning eyes and accepted her challenge. After a twenty-minute game, Seijuro defeated her by 37 points to 4. On the last shot, he went easy on Akira to let her score one more basket. Akira noticed this and declared that the game end. She somehow felt angry towards his gesture.

"Why did you go easy on me?!" she snapped

Seijuro picked the basketball and started spinning it on his index finger. "Why would you get mad? You were already losing anyway."

Despite the overwhelming truth, Akira felt insulted at what he had just said. She grew hot inside her head and swung her hand towards his left cheek. In an instant, Seijuro had caught her hand just mere inches from his face. He then pinned her against the wall and stared contemptuously at her.

"Why did you suddenly choose basketball?" he asked her, his cold breath against her ear. She shuddered.

"L-let go of me, Seijuro" she stammered, unable to release herself from his grip. "Your grip's too tight!"

He backed away and released her. She rubbed her wrist from that painful grasp of Seijuro's and walked away from him.

"I'm not sure what it is but there's definitely something different about you Seijuro" she said, looking worried at him.

Seijuro didn't reply and only watched her back as she walked away.

The day of the party had finally come, held at the gardens of the Akashi mansion. Guests from business partners, family friends and investors had arrived. Akira was seated on the same table as her grandmother, Seijuro and their fathers.

"Seijuro, so Teiko's won the winter cup yet again?" Daisuke praised

"Indeed. It wasn't much of a challenge especially for Daiki and Atsushi"

"And now they refer to you five as _the Generation of Miracles_. Masaomi, you should have seen Seijuro in the finals"

As the music filled the air, Akira ate her food without paying attention or saying so much as a word to anybody. The moment her father started praising Seijuro, she kept quiet. From the other end of the table, Seijuro noticed that Akira kept her head low whilst eating. The string ensemble was playing Blue Danube and he stood up.

"Akira, let's dance" he held out his hand to her, expecting a return

Akira only glanced at him and went back to eating. "Are you crazy? You know I'm not much of a dancer"

Before she could say anything more, Seijuro pulled her out of her seat and dragged her to the middle of the grounds. He placed his right hand on her waist while his left hand held hers. All eyes were now on them and Akira's face was red as a tomato.

"Seijuro, what the hell are you doing?!" she whispered furiously at him

"There's nothing wrong with dancing" he smiled. It wasn't a warm cheerful smile, but rather distant.

Akira flinched at the way he smiled at her. There it was again, that uneasiness she felt being alone with him. As he moved her gracefully with the music, a few more couples joined in the dance. He led Akira into swirls and spins as the waltz finished. Akira's face turned blue and she swung her hands right to her mouth as if to prevent something from coming out.

"Are you all right?"

"Does it look like I'm all right? Of course I feel like throwing up!"

Without another word, she ran off from the crowd and rushed to the powder room. She had only come out about 5 minutes later, feeling relieved. The dance had made her dizzy since she couldn't keep up with Seijuro's spins. He waited for her outside the powder room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her

"Better" she replied coldly

There was an awkward moment of silence between them until Akira broke into a hysterical laughter.

"You think you're so much better than me, better than everybody else?"

Seijuro looked at her with his usual unyielding gaze. His crimson eyes were unmoved with her question, as if he was saying _'It's quite obvious, isn't it?'_ Although he did not utter a word yet, his eyes gave out his answer.

"There'll come a time when you'll meet someone who'll beat you at your own game" Akira continued

"I'm clearly not good as you in one thing" Seijuro replied with a smile

Akira was slightly taken aback that he would actually acknowledge something she was better at.

"Wow, I never knew I was better than you at something" she scoffed

"Of course there is something" Seijuro lost his smile and looked colder and more serious. "I'm not better than you at being a disappointment"

Akira's eyes widened in shock at what he accused her.

"You're clearly better at being a failure than I am. You seem to be trying too hard to get uncle's attention when even he favors me as a son more than you as his daughter."

Seijuro's cold and disheartening words went straight to Akira. It felt like something had pierced her heart directly. Her eyes began tearing up and she quickly covered them with her hands before the tears fell.

"You're a crybaby and a disappointment to uncle"

His words echoed inside her head and it sounded so true, her heart ached. The tears were seeping through the spaces in between her fingers. In her rage, she had no control over what she had done next. Swinging her fist, she landed a blow straight to Seijuro's face, leaving a small bruise. She then grabbed him by his collar and shoved him to the powder room's door.

"I've always hated you but I thought you never meant anything you did!" she cried out, her tears staining her face. "I thought deep down that cold, arrogant and heartless exterior of yours, the real Seijuro would be warmer! I thought that if I did my best at my own things, I'd lose that hatred towards you"

Seijuro was quiet as he watched Akira finally venting all her anger out at him. Before Akira could finish, she felt a force pull her away from Seijuro. She looked up, surprised to see her father of all people. He didn't look too happy.

"Akira," his stern voice called out her name. "Get your hands off of Seijuro. What gives you the right to hit others?!"

"Oto-san!" Akira smiled manically. Daisuke flinched. "I'm glad you're here so I can tell both of you what's on my mind!"

Seijuro and Daisuke looked at her in confusion as to why she was laughing and crying at the same time. "This will be the last time you'll see me as my old self. This is my declaration.." she pointed at them both. "See you at the nationals and I'll defeat you, Akashi. Just you wait and see"

Akira and her grandmother returned to Osaka the very next morning. Sawako knew something had happened that night to she had suggested they return to Osaka as soon as possible. On the train ride, Akira had confessed her future plans to Sawako.

"Haaah?!" Sawako gasped out loud. She had just heard the most outrageous thing her granddaughter had said so far. "Y-you're completely out of your mind Aki-chan"

"Nande? I don't see why not. All I have to do is improve my skills in basketball, cut my hair and wear a boy's uniform"

Akira had planned to enter high school as a boy and wear the boys' uniform. As to which High school, she still wasn't too sure yet but she planned to move alone to Tokyo. Under rage, she managed to plan the next three years of her life in less than 2 minutes last night.

 **I feel ashamed of myself... lolz anyway, same thing as always : comments and reviews (both love and hate) are welcomed**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Our last year in junior high; I think I found my high-school!**

 **Ohayo dear readers and thank you for liking/following le story. Updates are surprisingly fast but... wait until I get another blank space in my head xD lolzzzz sorry hahaha but here's chappie 6. Again, I do not own KnB or any of its characters, songs, etc.**

In her senior year of junior high, Akira was vice captain of the girls' basketball team. Despite last year's defeat, the team was still aiming for the nationals. The girls' interhigh tournament would be held on the same days as the boys' and Akira thought of watching Teiko play one last time.

Two weeks before the preliminaries, Akira pondered on the rooftop about her decision for high school and she hadn't told Mayumi about it yet.

"Akira-chan! Akira-chan, you here?"

Akira woke up from her daze when she heard Mayumi calling her. She had to tell her best friend and former teammate now. Before she could say anything else, Mayumi jumped on her and cried like a baby.

"I can't believe we're seniors already! I can't believe we're graduating soon!"

"Kakkh! Ahh M-Mayumi-chan I can't breathe!" she coughed

Mayumi finally let go of Akira and settled down. Akira began looking serious, as if she had something really important to explain to her – which she does.

"Mayumi-chan when I get to high school, I'll join a basketball team"

"I knew you would Akira-chan" Mayumi sighed. "I never even expected you'd go back to track-and-field"

"I'll join the boys' team"

"Yeah, you – wait, what?!" Mayumi was caught off-guard with what Akira had said.

It took quite some time, and constant repetitions, until Mayumi finally calmed down and absorbed Akira's story. She kept asking why until finally accepting her best friend would become a man in high school. Anyway, they each had the summer inter highs to concentrate on.

It was the final qualifying games for Tokyo's basketball teams in both middle school and high school. Akira rode the train with Mayumi to watch Teiko in the games. As she had predicted, Teiko junior high had destroyed their opponent with a large margin of points. She watched as the Teiko starters walked away from the court after the victory. Seijuro caught a glimpse of her in the crowd. She stared him back.

"You two seem to be cold towards each other" Mayumi commented after having observed.

"I hate him. I want to show him what defeat is all about" Akira replied coldly. Mayumi was shocked a bit

"A-are you okay? You seem-"

"Sorry Mayumi-chan" Akira returned to her warm smile. "I got carried away"

After everybody had left the stadium, the two girls exited as well. She saw a blue-haired boy in the same Teiko tracksuit with a pink-haired girl. She noticed that the boy had picked something up from the ground and ran towards the other stadium, where the high school matches were being held. She felt a sudden tinge of curiosity and decided to follow the boy with Mayumi trailing behind.

Inside the stadium, there were loud cheers from the crowd. It was Seirin versus Kirisaki Dai Ichi. She noticed the looks on the faces of the Seirin players. They seemed too young to be seniors but they were good in their own way. She saw that the look in the faces of the Seirin players. Despite having a relatively small bench, with just one sub player, they were giving it their all and they cheered as hard as they could. It wasn't until she saw those eyes. The eyes of a warrior (a/n: sh*t, just got a bit corny here. Gomen)…

"That number 7 is amazing. It looks like he's being pointguard and center at the same time" Akira smiled. She watched in awe at Seirin's players, especially towards number 7. "He's so cool"

"Uhm, Aki-chan? You look like you've got stars in your eyes"

"They're amazing. You can tell that they really put everything into the game. They look like they're having fun"

Although number 7 was injured and taken out, and Seirin had lost, Akira felt her heart beat wildly. She wanted to play alongside the Seirin members.

Akira and Mayumi returned home. The girls' basketball qualifiers were also happening and Suzaku were playing tomorrow. On the train, Akira told Mayumi that she had already found her high school.

"So you're moving to Tokyo? I guess you're really serious now"

"Mayumi-chan, you better cheer for me when Seirin plays" Akira responded with a smile, trying to make light of the situation.

"I guess I better call you Aki-kun now"

Suzaku girls' basketball team had qualified to represent Osaka in Tokyo. More than anything at the moment, Akira wanted her team to win. Four games into the tournament, they had finally reached the quarterfinals. This was beyond everybody's expectations.

"Remember girls, we're aiming for 1st place" The girls' captain said, boosting her team's morale

"We'll play with all our strength and have fun at the same time" Akira added.

Their starting lineup consisted of 3 sophomores and 2 seniors, Akira being one of them. In her two years with the basketball team, Akira had played the positions of pointguard and small forward. She was quite flexible in position shifting. Her greatest assets were her speed and flexibility. She focused more on stealing and passing rather than shooting.

After 40 minutes of the game, Akira and her teammates had won 60-56 and were moving up to the semis. It had been eighteen years since the Suzaku girls' team had passed the quarterfinals of the national middle school championship. The girls were crying tears of joy. From the audience, Seijuro watched Akira rejoice with her teammates. He had never seen her so happy in a long time. At least, not so genuinely happy.

Unfortunately, not all good things last. Suzaku's triumphant journey ended in the semifinals when they lost to a Kyoto representative. Their highest goal was now to win the battle for third. In the end, they too lost the battle for third and finished fourth in the end. The sophomores looked crushed and devastated, along with the freshmen and seniors.

"Best of four huh? We didn't do so bad" Akira remarked. "It doesn't matter. We played our best and we got here, right?"

Her teammates stopped crying and looked at her. Even their captain was at a loss for words. Akira was smiling, still looking extremely happy.

"We didn't win the tournament, but we played our heart out!"

"You're right, Akira-chan" the captain finally spoke. "Girls, let's leave with our heads held high because we didn't give up for even just a second"

The girls cheered and stopped crying. Their tears were now that of joyful tears. The girls' finals were coming up soon so they had to clear the court. Akira did her best to hold back her tears until she was all alone.

Alone in the girl's bathroom, Akira slowly cried, making sure nobody would hear her. She cried and cried until her eyes couldn't produce any more tears. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was pink. It was now too obvious she had cried. Unfortunately, Mayumi was also competing and she was unable to cheer Akira on.

The next day, Akira decided to watch the boys' finals between Teiko and Meiko junior high. She managed to arrive at the start of the fourth quarter and saw that Teiko was leading by a large margin, 101 – 6. Seijuro was in the game but he didn't score majority of the points. She could see that they weren't really enjoying the game but rather, treated it like some sort of leisure.

The point gap was too much. Teiko was leading 111 to 9 with only less than a minute left. What troubled Akira was the fact that Teiko had purposely scored Meiko's last basket, giving the other team a score of 11. When Teiko had won nonetheless, they didn't look so overjoyed. The final score was 111 – 11 in favor of Teiko. The other team was crushed. Seijuro and the other starters didn't bother to look so overjoyed, as if they had planned the whole thing. For her, it was heartbreaking to watch. Akira noticed that Seijuro's eyes were just as cold as she watched them leave.

After the awarding ceremony, Akira ran downstairs to look for Seijuro. When he saw her, Seijuro excused himself from his teammates and walked away. Akira finally got into close range with him and grabbed his jacket collar, shoving him to a wall.

"How could you?! Why did you do that?" she cried out in disgust

Seijuro didn't respond. He only grinned at her. His now heterochromatic eyes grinning back at her

"Idiot, how heartless could you be?!"

"If we were heartless, we wouldn't have let them scored" Seijuro replied coldly

"That was the worst game I've ever seen you play" Akira fired back

"What does that have to do you with you? You have no part in this"

"But still, I can't believe you would let your team play around the pride of the other players"

"I only wanted my team to have some motivation in the game" He replied, grinning. "They needed some amusement"

Seijuro grabbed Akira's wrists and pulled himself away from her grip by pushing her aside. After fixing his jacket, he proceeded to walk away.

"I assume your team had lost before even reaching the finals?" was his last remark before leaving

Extremely angered, Akira kicked the wall

That winter, most of the seniors from Akira's team had retired to concentrate on their studies. Akira remained the last senior since she had no problem balancing her academic work with her extracurricular activities.

However, Suzaku's girls' team had failed to go past the fourth round of the winter cup. Alas, Akira finished her duties as team captain with the girls.

Graduation had arrived quickly and Akira was class valedictorian. She had already passed the Seirin entrance exam. Arriving home, she cut off her long braids and tried on the men's uniform. In two weeks' time, she was going to enter Seirin high school as Hayakawa Akira, _son_ of Hayakawa Daisuke.

 **A/N: So yay! She's going to Seirin (lol that was too obvious) what challenges await our young heroine as she enters a new chapter in her life? Will she make it or give up halfway through? Stay tuned to find out! Arigato!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – "My name is Hayakawa Akira, and I'm happy to be a part of Seirin's team!"**

 **Heyya readers! How's it going? Thanks for the reviews and I hope you won't be disappointed with this so far. Lolz anyway, enjoy!**

The first day of school was filled with club members. Being a relatively new school, having been formed only last year, everybody were sophomores. They were recruiting new members, incoming freshmen, to different clubs.

Sporting her new look, Akira received some sort of unwanted attention from several ladies. She could feel their eyes fixed on her and she felt nervous. _Was her disguise not good enough?_ She began to think.

"Wow, you're so handsome. We'd love to have you for the drama club" a group of girls fawned over Akira.

"Eh? Handsome?!" Akira blushed. "N-no. I'm sorry I don't know how to act" she declined politely and ran away

To her surprise, her disguise was so good she even looked good as a male. She had a unique face that looked beautiful if she was a girl and handsome if she was a boy. Apparently, Akira seemed more popular as a guy than she was a girl.

She looked for the basketball club's recruiters when she bumped into a tall man handing out fliers. She looked at him and he stared back at her before handing her a flier.

"Basketball club?" she read. "Basketball club!" she smiled and leaped. The boy only smiled back and remained quiet, returning to handing out fliers.

She searched for the basketball club's booth and saw a short-haired brunette with a megane. They had the sign "Basketball club" up in color so Akira ran to their table. However, some taller wild-looking guy had arrived before her and he had signed up. Akira was amazed with his aura. After he had finally gone, Akira placed her paper on their table and ran away.

"Ok, I guess that's all we recruited for today" the brunette girl proclaimed, piling the papers

"Uhm coach? You left out two forms"

The brunette quickly took notice and read the forms. "Hayakawa Akira-kun, Suzaku Gakuen" She scanned to the next "Kuroko Tetsuya-kun from"

The brunette paused in shock when she saw which junior high Kuroko had come from – Teiko junior high. "T-Teiko? Isn't that the school famous for its Generation of Miracles?" she gasped.

In her class, Akira sat right in front next to the window. When she had entered, a lot of the girls were looking at her. She had almost forgotten that she was wearing a boy's uniform now. She could hear them whisper things like, "wow _he's_ so handsome", "maybe I should sit next to _him_ ", "do you think _he_ has a girlfriend?"

Akira sighed to herself. This was somehow uncomfortable to her. She didn't expect to be a popular guy, popular enough to even catch the attention of some guys who had either eyed her as a rival or probable friend. Throughout the whole morning, everywhere she went it was like almost every girl had their eyes on her. Akira was beginning to feel uneasy with all the attention.

After classes, club activities were to begin. Akira changed to her PE clothes and headed for the gym. The basketball team was about to start with welcoming their new recruits when she had arrived. There were 7 new freshmen who had lined up with their shirts off. Shyly, she peeked through the open doors until one of the sophomores noticed her.

"Are you one of the new recruits?" he asked

"Y-Y-Yes! Sorry for being late!" she stammered and ran towards the line up

"All right since you're the last one, take your shirt off" the same short-haired brunette ordered.

"Sh-shirt off?" Akira gasped, taking one step back. "W-why?"

"I need to analyze your stats and body data" she replied

"B-b-b-but I can't, I don't, er I mean-" She was busted. Akira had no way to escape if she wanted to join the team. Everyone had their eyes on her and she felt the pressure. "G-g-gomenasai"

The brunette tapped her foot and crossed her arms in impatience. "Look, we don't have all day. Just-"

Before the brunette could finish, Akira pulled off her shirt. She felt more uneasy, shutting her eyes tightly as the brunette eyed her.

"Uhm, why do you have bandages around your chest?"

Akira's eyes shot open. She remembered wrapping her chest with bandages to make her appear more flat chested than her usual B-cup chest size.

"A-ah, oh right! I have, uhm" she paused for a moment to think of an excuse. "I-I had this scar that's really ugly and embarrassing to look at"

The brunette eyed her from head to foot, not paying too much attention at her chest. "You have high numbers on your legs. Do you run a lot?"

"Well, uh, I was formerly on the track-and-field team in my school before I joined basketball during my second year" she explained, feeling relieved to have bypassed inspection.

"Name, position and reason for joining the basketball team please" said one taller guy with glasses. _He seemed like the captain. He had the aura of a captain…_

"My name is Hayakawa Akira from Suzaku Gakuen. I've played pointguard and small forward and I want to follow in the footsteps of my father!" she cried out loud.

"Was your father a basketball player too?" asked one of the sophomores with the cat-like face.

"Yes. Hayakawa Daisuke" the words slipped out of Akira's tongue unexpectedly. She hadn't meant to reveal so much during her first day but unfortunately, her nerves got the better of her.

"You're Hayakawa Daisuke's son?!" they gasped. Almost everybody in the court knew who Hayakawa Daisuke was. He had played for Rakuzan high school before being scouted by an NBA coach and moved to study abroad. He then played for the Japanese national team at 21 years old and retired at 35 to concentrate on his successful business career.

Akira nodded nervously. "But please don't expect too much from me. I don't quite have my father's natural talent"

The brunette introduced herself as Aida Riko, coach of the team. All the freshmen, especially Akira, were shocked although Akira was more amazed than shocked. _Amazing! A female coach and she's only a year older than me_.

She called in one more name "Kuroko Tetsuya! Where's Kuroko Tetsuya"

Nobody made a sound and they all thought Kuroko Tetsuya was absent for the day until the coach suddenly screamed when she saw a blue-haired boy in front of her.

"I'm here" Kuroko said calmly

Akira was astounded by his extreme lack of presence, although she felt that she had seen him somewhere before. When he mentioned that he had played for Teiko, her thoughts were confirmed. She had seen him during the Tokyo finals.

During practice, Akira wasn't at par with Kagami Taiga, one of the freshmen she had joined with. Kagami was in the US for most of his elementary and middle school years and he was super – being both tall and fast. Thankfully, it was freshmen versus sophomores and Akira was relieved she didn't have to face-off with the Kagami guy so soon.

In training, Akira wasn't good at shooting but she was excellent in speed and footwork. She easily passed defenders and led fast breaks. She could jump high enough too, thanks to her powerful legs from jumping hurdles.

Having finally arrived at her apartment, Akira was too exhausted to even change out of her uniform. The men's practice was ten times worse than Suzaku's girls'. She still had a long way to go.

Having been only a trial member along with the other freshmen, Akira had to resubmit an official application form and meet the rest at the rooftop at precisely 8:40 am. She, along with Kagami, Kuroko and the other three freshmen who pursued, arrived at the rooftop to be greeted by Riko. The coach had a huge grin on her face as she explained the whole purpose of their gathering.

Without much hesitation, Kagami jump onto the railings and shouted out loud that he was going to beat the generation of miracles to become number one in Japan.

After Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara did their turn. Akira, having been fueled with excitement, stood up on the railings as well.

"Hayakawa Akira, class 1-D and my goal is to play for Seirin in the nationals! I'M HAPPY TO PLAY FOR SEIRIN'S TEAM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs

While the new recruits of the basketball team were busy with their "ritual", the students and faculty were gathered on the grounds for the morning assembly ceremony.

When it was finally Kuroko's turn, one of the teachers had busted the door open and scolded everybody.

 **A/N: Welcome to Seirin, Hayakawa Akira-kun!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: This is the road I'm taking**

 **Halo dear readers! thank you for he comments and follows. I do hope you'll find this chap ok... Still none of the super exciting moments yet...**

For the first time in her life, Akira experienced walking to school. In elementary she always had a chauffeur take her while in middle school, her grandma drove her to school. Arriving at the school gates, Akira was greeted by some of her female classmates while girls from other classes looked on from afar.

From texts and calls with Mayumi, Akira had updated her on what it was like being a boy – even the embarrassing fact that girls swooned over her. Mayumi had remained in Osaka to attend high school. Aside from the basketball club, Akira was also the _male_ class rep of her class and a member of the Health and First Aid committee.

PE classes separated boys and girls on some occasions. However today, they had a joint soccer class. Akira wasn't the very athletic type, although she was good in running and she was hard working. Thanks to her basketball and track background, Akira managed to level up with some guys. The girls were cheering her on from the sidelines.

"Go Hayakawa-kun!"

"Kyaaaah! Hayakawa-kun's so amazing"

Akira herself didn't understand why she was popular with the girls when she wasn't even so good in soccer and she wasn't even very talkative to others.

After being replaced by another guy, Akira sat on the side and drank from her water bottle. Sweat was dripping from her forehead. Suddenly, three girls ran to her and offered their towels.

"Hayakawa-kun, please use mine to wipe your sweat off" offered one girl, until another one barged in

"Hayakawa-kun, mine is still fresh. Please, do not hesitate to use mine"

"No way Hayakawa-kun! Mine is scented with lemons. Please use mine"

Akira sweatdropped and laughed nervously at their offers. She was taken aback and suddenly remembered Seijuro. She thought that this was what he might have felt back in elementary school when girls flocked around him.

"I-I guess I'll accept all your towels then?" Akira replied nervously, a bit hesitant to take their towels. "Thank you very much for taking care of me"

 _over at Rakuzan High School_

"Akashi-kun's so cool!"

"He's smart, handsome and great at basketball too!"

Akashi Seijuro, now a freshman at Rakuzan high, had excelled in a short span of time. He was immediately popular with boys and girls alike thanks to his strong charisma. On the court, he was the center of many of the school girls' attention during practice.

"Sei-chan, you're really a young up and coming star" teased one of his teammates

"I'm flattered, but it has no effect upon me" Seijuro replied with his usual calm demeanor

Every time Seijuro made a pass or scored a basket, the girls would scream like crazy.

Outside the court, Seijuro occasionally received chocolates and love letters from girls. If some were brave enough to approach him, he would only smile at them and say that he was flattered.

One day, a girl asked to speak to him in private, hoping to confess her feelings to Seijuro.

"A-Akashi-kun, I was wondering if you were free on Saturday," the girl stammered. "There's a part on Mr. Nishimura's lecture that I didn't understand. C-Could you help me with it?"

"Why wait for Saturday? I'll teach you during lunch break. It'll be better in the library" Seijuro replied, smiling

"L-Library?" the girl's cheeks were red. "I guess that's good"

Inside the library, while Seijuro blankly explained and ran through the teacher's lecture with his organized notes. One of the things Akira found annoying was that Seijuro's notes were always more organized and legible than hers. In some cases when she'd miss a few, Seijuro had always complete notes.

"Uhm, Akashi-kun could I ask you something?" the girls asked, blushing heavily

"Is it related to the topic? I would be happy to oblige"

"N-No, I wanted to ask if you already have a girlfriend"

"Why would you suddenly ask such a personal question?"

 _Personal?,_ The girl thought. _Anybody asks anybody about that_.

Before anything else, Seijuro stood up and dropped the books on the table. "Well I'm guessing you've understood Mr. Nishimura's lecture so I leave you be. I'm quite busy"

The girl sat dumbfounded and speechless with her jaw wide open. Akashi Seijuro had just rejected the nth girl, this time, before she could even confess. Seijuro walked out of the library without even looking back at the poor girl. He didn't care.

 _back to Seirin high_

"The coach's arranged a practice game for us!" cried one of the freshmen from the basketball team. Everyone inside the locker room stopped with what they were doing. Koganei dropped the magazine he had held.

"Do you know who we're playing?" Hyuuga asked

"I don't know but she was skipping on her way here"

When the sophomores heard him say she was _skipping_ they panicked and shivered. If coach Riko was skipping then it meant the opponent would be strong. They all waited for her inside the gym.

"Sorry for being late" Akira greeted as she entered the gym in her loose shirt with baggy shorts that fell just to cover her knees. To hide her "womanhood", aside from the bandages, Akira wore two layers of shirts as well as to appear slightly bigger.

"Hayakawa-kun, why don't you change at the locker room?" Koganei asked his underclassman.

"EH?" Akira shivered at the thought. "I-I'm fine with the bathroom"

When Riko had arrived, skipping merrily inside the gym, everybody shuddered. _What type of opponent has she put out for us?_ , they all thought quietly.

"We're playing Kaijo high in a practice game!" she smiled with her thumbs up. "And the best part is, this year they've got their hands on one of the members of the Generation of Miracles"

She didn't know why but every time she heard that name, Akira always felt a chill down her spine. All she could remember was that last game during the interhigh of their senior year in middle school, and Seijuro's cold eyes. She said she'd show him what defeat was someday and in order to do that, she had to reach the inter high. Whenever she heard of the _generation of miracles_ , her blood boiled at the thought of Akashi Seijuro.

All of a sudden, some girls were flocking by the gym's door all lining up to some tall handsome blonde. It looked like he was busy signing autographs when he finally took notice of the Seirin players. Excusing himself politely from the crowd of girls, the blonde walked towards Seirin's team.

Turned out he was Kise Ryota from the Generation of Miracles who now attended Kaijo High. He was all over Kuroko and even cockily told him to transfer to Kaijo, which he felt, was a much more suitable than the newly formed Seirin High. Akira couldn't take it – she found the blondie too cocky.

"Hey blondie!" she called out. Everybody was hushed as they looked at her, especially Kise Ryota. "Just because Seirin's only a new school it doesn't mean we're not good enough for you"

"Blondie?" he laughed. "You've got a really cute player Kurokocchi! I'm afraid I may have some competition" Kise said, sounding both excited and sarcastic at the same time. Akira flinched at his calling her _cute_ , hoping he hadn't seen through her disguise.

"Thank god Kagami-kun threw a basketball straight towards his face! I couldn't stand him talking" Akira complained

 _"Stop worrying about it, idiot. Anyway, how are you doing with men's basketball now?"_

"Seriously you just had to ask. I'm clearly no match against most of them especially Kagami-kun"

 _"Ooooh are you crushing on Kagami-kun?"_

"IDIOT HELL NO!"

 _"Oh yeah, your heart's already taken by your beloved fiancé Akashi-kun"_

"Don't… mention… that bastard's name Mayumi"

 _"S-sorry about that. Anyway, take care as usual Akira"_

Akira hung up on her phone and returned to her schoolwork. Studying was never a problem for her. After all, she had pushed herself for so many years just to be at par with Seijuro and win her father's approval.

Her body was still sore after strenuous practice. She wasn't lacking in athletic capability, but she was now up against men and not women like she had been used to. Her opponents would be faster and stronger, not to mention the Generation of Miracles. Akira ignored the pain in her back and decided to give herself a good stretch.

"I'll bear with it" she sighed to herself. "After all, this _is the road I'm taking_ "

 **~~~~~~~~ end of chap 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ plz tell me if it was horrible. I'll try to make up for it in the next chap. Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: First game against a "Miracle"**

Seirin basketball team traveled all the way to Kanagawa for their practice game against Kaijo High. Akira wasn't in the starting lineup for today's game but she hoped to be given the chance to play and show the "airhead blonde" (A/N: these are Akira's words, not mine…. I don't hate Kise-chi) just how good Seirin was.

…. …. …..

The referee blew his whistle and called for a timeout. Kuroko had gotten hit on the head by Kise's elbow and had to be subbed out due to his bleeding forehead.

"Hayakawa-kun, I'm putting you in" Riko said

"Coach?" Akira was still in awe. She couldn't believe that she would be able to face a strong team as early as this

"You heard me. Do your best. In terms of speed, you're the only one who can match them aside from Kagami"

Akira saw the glimmer of hope in Riko's eyes as she nodded her head. This was her first so-called official game with Seirin and as a man as well. She was set to help double team Kise with Kagami.

"Well,well. I didn't Kagami would need any help stopping me" Kise remarked as Akira took her position

Akira and Kagami both flinched and cursed him in their heads. To make it all more annoying, his fangirls were already inside the court cheering him on like crazy.

"I'll make you and your fangirls shut up" Akira replied

"Hayakawa, was it?" Kise asked while dribbling the ball cautiously. "Let's see how good you are"

Before Akira and Kagami could even blink, the _blonde miracle_ dribbled past them and led a fast break towards Seirin's goal. Akira was pissed and after receiving the throw in from Izuki, she ran as fast as she could across the court. She made a quick pass to Kagami who went in for a counterattack. He made a dunk which pumped everybody on Seirin's bench but once Kaijo had their throw in, Kise dashed for the ball. Kasamatsu took the ball and aimed for a pass towards Kise. Akira ran in between and intercepted.

Everybody was amazed at the speedy sub that had come in to double mark Kise Ryota. _He_ was fast and good at running around the court, stealing the ball from Kaijo. However, while _he_ had broken through Kaijo's defenses, _he_ was unfortunately bad at shooting. _He_ had just missed a layup shot. Everybody on Seirin's bench sweatdropped.

"Don't mind the shot Hayakawa! You did good" Akira felt a pat on the back by their captain, Hyuuga Junpei.

"Sorry captain. I'll get it in next time"

"Leave the shooting to us" Hyuuga said in hushed tones. "Your job is to keep the ball away from the opponents as much as possible with your superb speed"

Akira did her best, although not at par with Kise or Kagami, to keep the ball away from Kaijo as much as possible. After the third quarter, she was already exhausted and was subbed out in exchange for Kuroko.

"How's your head Kuroko-kun?" Akira asked, panting heavily in between words

"I'm all right now, Hayakawa-kun. Thank you for your hardwork" Kuroko returned Akira's words with a pat on the shoulder as he entered the game.

Akira wasn't troubled to be subbed out rather she was still overwhelmed at having faced one of the Generation of Miracles in a game. She was panting heavily now when Furihata handed her water bottled over to her. Akira's body ached all over but she didn't show it.

After the gruesome 40-minute game Seirin had surprisingly defeated Kaijo. Hungry and tired, the Seirin players went over at a steakhouse to try and have a go at their super bomber steak, which if finished in less than 30 minutes, would be free. The coach apparently was crazy enough to make her players eat them up.

"This steak is steakalicious" Izuki sighed to himself. He was making a pun

Everyone who had paid little attention to Izuki sighed and completely ignored him after his ridiculous pun except for Akira, who managed to snicker a little.

When all hope was lost, when nobody could take another bit of steak, Kagami became their saving grace by effortlessly devouring all their steaks for them. On their way out…..

"Is everybody here?" Riko called out, counting her players and making sure there were 11 of them

"Uhm, Kuroko-kun isn't here" said one of the freshmen

"Don't worry he's probably at the back and we just didn't notice him" Hyuuga suggested. But when they turned around, he was nowhere to be found and everybody panicked.

"Ano, uhm, I saw him talking to Kise-kun. Maybe they went off somewhere" Akira said calmly

In the end, Kagami managed to bring Kuroko back to the team but Riko, in her fury, pinned Kuroko to the ground and began wrestling him. Nobody bothered to help him out

At home, Akira threw herself on her bed and called her grandmother's phone. _Riiiiiing Riiiiing_

 _"Aki-chaaaan! How are you? You haven't called in three days"_ her grandmother whined on the other line

"Gomen oba-san. I was busy and tired from all the practice we've been having"

 _"Are you all right? I'm really worried about this whole cross-dressing thing you're doing"_

"Don't worry about it. I'm fitting in perfectly although boys' basketball training is a lot rougher than my past experiences in track and girls' basketball overall"

 _"Don't get injuries, 'kay? Who knows what'll happen if you tear a muscle or break a bone, 'kay? Goddamit Aki-chan I'm getting even more worried about you"_

Akira couldn't help but laugh at her grandmother's overwhelming and unnecessary worries over her. "Oba-san, I'm not a baby anymore. Besides, I got to play in a practice game against Kaijo High today" Akira said with a grin on her face. "They're a powerhouse school and they've even got one of the members of the Generation of Miracles"

She went on blabbing about the game and the Generation of Miracles as if her grandmother knew anything of what she was talking about. Hearing her granddaughter's stories, she managed to loosen up and relax more. After their conversation, Akira sent a text to Mayumi.

 **To: Ozora Mayumi**

 _Just played in a practice game against Kaijo High! That was my first serious game too_

A few minutes later, her phone lit up and vibrated…

 **To: Hayakawa Akira**

 _Woah! You made it as a starting member already? I didn't think you were that good_

 **To: Ozora Mayumi**

 _Wow thanks for that note. I wasn't a starting member but one of them got injured so I subbed in. I even got to double-team with Kagami-kun against one of the Kiseki no Sedai_

 **To: Hayakawa Akira**

 _Ooooh Kagami-kun_ ©©© _Going another level are we? xD LOL Anyway, so you got to go against one of your fiancé's former teammates? You didn't get beat up, did you? Hahaha_

 **To: Ozora Mayumi**

 _I feel like butchering you right now. Stop teasing dammit Mayumi . I do NOT like Kagami-kun that way. And anyway, stop bringing Seijuro up in our conversations. We'll talk about him once I've defeated him in the Nationals._

 **To: Hayakawa Akira**

 _Gomen, gomen Aki-chan. Anyway Gambatte! Make sure you do your best okay? Maybe I can come see one of your games in the future_

Akira was sleepy when was texting with Mayumi and fell asleep before even seeing her friend's last text to her. Fatigue had overpowered her and she fell into a deep sleep with memories from her first game flooding in. She woke up at 5:15 am the next day and saw Mayumi's unread messages. First thing she did was reply to her best friend and heading to the bathroom.

She looked at her new reflection in the mirror and smacked both hands to her cheeks until they turned red. The game yesterday had yet to sink in deeper to her system. The interhigh competition would be starting soon. She marked the day on her calendar with a big red 'x' mark and wrote "victory". May 16, the interhigh preliminaries were only four days away.

In those four days, training was a lot harder and tougher now. At some point, Akira puked after running 100 laps inside the court. Her shooting was still so-and-so, missing majority of her shots, but her footwork was already good. In another attempt for a three pointer, Akira missed yet again.

"Hayakawa, your shoulders are too stiff" Hyuuga approached her and chided her form.

"Senpai? Gomenasai"

"And you need to bend your knees to help you with jumping"

Akira flinched a bit after being told off about her jump. She knew her legs were strong and that she could jump thanks to her track training, but it seemed insufficient for her new basketball career. But because she respected Hyuuga, and everybody else in Seirin's team, she listened to his corrections. After doing everything Hyuuga had told her to do, Akira managed to land the three-pointer, although not perfectly smooth. She received a pat on the shoulder by her captain.

 **Sooooo... I got nothing else to say for this chap except - THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR READERS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!**

 **It's about to be the nationals in the coming chapters. I was thinking of not being too strict with following the exact flow of events from the original story, ya know, to keep it kinda original too... but that's gonna be risky I guess. Well, who knows. Anyway, since Akira will never be a starting player for Seirin, she'll be coming in and out to sub either Kuroko or Izuki... just a warning in advance in case you don't like Izuki-san or Kuroko-kun to be replaced. Creating this storyand the OC was difficult in the beginning because she's obviously disguised as a dude here and I'll have to be fitting her into games here and there so most game sequences will be different from the original. But the results will be the same. Then of course, there'll be awkward moments/situations later on and yep... sooner or later the truth will be out. OH NoOoOo! I'm a horrible author. I'm giving you the beans... I should just shut up. After all, I did say I had nothing else to say. hahahahah gomenasai. I'm such a liar.**

 **Comment and follow? hehehe or Comment and hate xD lolz I don't mind :) Ja ne!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Let the games begin!**

 **Inter high games! wooohooo hahhahaha**

 **I'd like to take this time to finally thank those who commented:**

 **SilverSapphire34523,** **BoA,** **NKloveNK, MDTM, and** **Guest of honor :)**

 **By the way SilverSapphire34523: If you're still wondering if Akira's father had ever agreed to her genderbending antic, well he doesn't even know. All he knows is that Akira will be attending a school in Tokyo and did nothing more than give her an apartment to live in. He didn't really care. Sorry her dad's a jerk.**

Her morning routine was consistent: waking up at 4:45am and changing into her jogging gear before she left her apartment at around 5:15am for her daily jog, arriving back home at around 6:30 and get ready for school, eat breakfast at 8am and leave for school. However, this morning would be slightly different. Today she woke up more nervous than before because the first round of preliminaries was going to start.

In class, a group of girls approached Akira on her table and offered their _"good luck"_ and _"do your best"_ wishes. Some even gave her chocolates as gifts.

"Thank you for your support. Although I probably won't be in the starting lineup, I'll relay your good wishes to my teammates" Akira, not knowing what else to say, blushed.

After classes, Seirin headed off for their first game against Shinkyo Academy. Yesterday, Riko had showed the team a picture of a freakishly tall African player on their team. Akira was running with the bag of chocolates she had received earlier.

"Hayakawa-kun, you're too popular. I hate you" Koganei remarked, albeit jokingly

"Kogane-senpai, gomenasai" she replied shyly. "I meant to share these with everyone"

"Really?! Then I guess I like you after all" Koganei cheered up and helped himself with one of the chocolates before getting hit by Riko.

On their bus ride, Akira sat at the back right next to Koganei and Mitobe as she stared out the window and fell into deep contemplation.

 _Akashi's probably preparing for his team's first match too…._

 _I wonder if he'll make it to nationals…_

 _Of course he would. He is Akashi Seijuro after all and my father will be even prouder of him…_

"Hayakawa. Oi Hayakawa. Hayakawa-kun" Koganei called out to her, shaking her shoulder to wake her up from her daydream.

"K-Koganei-senpai gomen!" Akira jerked up, falling off her daydream

" _'Everybody's getting off the bus already. Don't tell me you're nervous as heck for the games'_ says Mitobe" Koganei said, as if speaking what was on Mitobe's mind as he stared blankly and mutely at her.

Akira stood up and apologized for her spaced out character. She wasn't too nervous despite seeing that over 2-meter player from Senegal. _Papa Mbarone Sekai,_ _Papanpa Seki_ or something. She couldn't remember his name but he was taaaaaall.

Entering the court, it had a lot of spectators but not enough to fill half. After all, it was still the first round of the preliminaries. Most of the supporting cheers came when Shinkyo High emerged out of the court and Papa Mbaye Shiki's head stood out among the crowd. Akira's face, along with Fukuda, Furihata and Kawahara's faces, turned pale when Papa walked past them. Akira stood clearly over a foot shorter than the Senegal player.

During the second half of the game, Akira was able to play, temporarily subbing in for Kuroko. She quivered in fear as Papa stood between her and her supposed pass to Hyuuga. Akira froze in her spot and had the ball taken from her before she even realized it. Shinkyo led a fast break, and Papa scored.

"Don't mind Hayakawa. We'll get the next point" Kagami assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I'm such a useless fool! Sorry Kagami-kun!" Akira bawled and bowed several times before getting smacked by Hyuuga in the head.

"Aho. You've got teammates. Try to calm down a bit, okay?" Hyuuga chided her. "He's just tall but you're faster than him"

With those words, Akira toughened up and pulled herself back together, smacking her cheeks until they were bright red. After the throw-in, Akira ran across the court and received Kuroko's super pass. She dribbled past two defenders and went for a lay-up shot.

.

.

.

.

.

Unfortunately, it hit the rim and rebounded. Everyone on Seirin's bench sweatdropped again, and Akira turned beet red in humiliation. Good thing Mitobe managed to get the rebound and passed it on to Hyuuga, who scored a three.

When coach Riko finally discovered Papa's weakness, she reminded Kagami of his defensive lessons with Mitobe on how to block taller people form shooting. Kagami was successful and prevented Papa from making any more shots. He then proceeded with an electrifying dunk which gave Seirin the lead.

"Kagami-kun, you're truly amazing!" Akira praised her taller teammate

"Uh, yeah. It's nothing"

Seirin won the game! Yaaay! But the day wasn't over yet. They came to watch the next gam which was between Shohoku high and Kinka high. Apparently, Shohoku had also gotten their hands on one of the Kiseki no Sedai – shooting guard Midorima Shintaro.

 _The next day…. In class…._

Akira yawned for the nth time while resting her chin on her palm. The morning seemed to move slowly and the teacher's lecture was not getting to her. She fought her eyelids from closing down, regretting for the first time, why she had taken a front row seat. It didn't help that the teacher's voice sounded pretty much like a drone. She yawned one more time and dozed off before finally being called by their biology teacher.

"Who can answer me? Oh, Hayakawa-kun!"

Akira jerked up when she heard her name being called by the angry teacher. She felt embarrassed as she wiped some drool off her chin. "Sensei?"

"Weren't you listening? I said, is the jugular vein the largest vein in the body?" the teacher asked one more time, his eyes narrowing, hoping Akira could not answer this one.

"Uhm, no" she replied coolly

"Are you sure?" the teacher gave a questioning look

"Yes. The two largest veins are the superior and inferior vena cava. If you want to know the largest artery too, then it's the aorta" Akira continued

"Then how much blood volume is inside man's body?"

"That would be abou liters, sensei"

"How many cranial nerves are there? And name them al!"

"But sensei, we haven't touched the central nervous system yet"

"I'm not hearing excuses. You seem to have read a lot since you're sleeping in my class"

Akira paused for a moment and counted her fingers. "there are 12 sensei. The olfactory, optic, oculomotor, trochlear, trigeminal, abducens, facial, vestibulocochlear, glossopharyngeal, vestibular, spinal accessory and hypoglossal nerves. As per function,- "

"Tomare! (stop) Ok I get it! You're a genius!" the teacher burst and returned to face the board. He could hear muffled laughter behind him. "Quiet all of you or I'll give a pop quiz!"

 _After class…_

The bell rang and it was finally time for lunch break. After class, some girls approached Akira and praised her for her amazing ability to answer.

"How did you know all those nerves when we hadn't discussed them yet, Hayakawa-kun?" asked one girl

"Well, I-uh, uhm, I heard them once from a friend" Akira replied

A memory of her and Seijuro flashed. It was when they were still in the fourth grade and they were having a picnic with his mother. Seijuro proudly enumerated the cranial nerves to show his mother that he had learned something new from the encyclopedias given to him. Akira back then, sat and watched in awe as he explained what they were and what they did.

Akira shook her head to forget. "I need to go. See you girls later" she said and hurried off with her lunchbox.

When she returned to the classroom, a couple of girls approached her.

"Ano ne Hayakawa-kun, we saw your game yesterday" one of the girls blushed

"Even if you only played for only 10 minutes, you were amazing"

Akira sweatdropped. She couldn't handle girls getting mushy all over her. It was still too weird and she hadn't gotten used to it yet. All she could do was thank them for their support and hurry to her seat and pretended to occupy herself with a book until the teacher came in.

During practice, more and more girls were dropping by to see Akira. Although the team was grateful for their enthusiasm, it somehow got into their nerves, especially Akira's. She wanted to focus more on her future games and meeting Seijuro in the Inter high games.

 **A/N: I had fun creating Hayakawa Akira and this fic because I enjoyed turning her into a boy and having girls swoon over her, rather than her being th manager of he boys' team. My inspiration for Akira was Kashima Yuu from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. If you've seen that anime, good for you! If not, I suggest you go watch it. Thank you for your continued support.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Meanwhile over at Rakuzan….**

"Sei-chan, it's amazing how you keep pushing yourself during training"

"I'm merely not one to be so complacent. Mediocrity is a vice I do not hold" (A/N: credits to my Philosophy teacher who once quoted this! haha)

Rakuzan was just as strenuous in their practice, or maybe even more. Of course, having the reputation of being the school with the most Interhigh championship trophies and the Emperor, they had to do only such. Akashi Seijuro was named captain of Rakuzan's basketball team, the youngest ever. Did I already mention that he was popular on and off the court? Yep I think I did.

After training, Seijuro headed over to his locker and changed back to his uniform. Rakuzan was performing well under his captaincy and he was pleased. Everything was going well for him. As he made his way out of the gym, he was approached by the female manager and she handed them the information of the players from Shutoku, Touou, Kaijo, Yosen and Seirin. For no special reason, he wanted to know how his teammates were doing. He took them from her and thanked her for her hard work.

In his room, he began reading the data and files of his former teammates and their teams. Reaching Seirin, he remembered his last conversation with Kuroko during their middle school graduation, when he had asked him what victory was all about. He read through the files until he came across number 13.

 _Special notes: Number 13, though only a bench warmer, he is able to make fast plays. Has good footwork and specializes in stealing the ball. Not a good shooter._

Although the substitute players had no names in his file, the number 13 looked strangely familiar. _His_ eyes looked the same with somebody he knew. Maybe he was just tired and his eyes were playing tricks on him. He yawned a bit and told himself that he needed to sleep.

 **Lol I'm so sorry for this shooooort chapter... And I even left it as a cliffhanger. Oh well, looks like you've just got to keep reading hahaha. Thank you for the follows, likes and reviews.**

 **PS: I' still trying to come up with a title. Hopefully by the next chap, I'll also be able to change this story's title**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: When facing against more of the Kiseki no Sedai: Of victory and heartbreak**

 **Thank you so so so much for your support dear readers and followers. I truly appreciate it. I'm kinda rushing through inter high because I myself can't wait to write the chapters where Akira (…er, I mean Seirin) would finally face off against Akashi Seijuro… I wouldn't consider this a spoiler…. It's the most obvious par hohoho hey! Anyway, hope this chap will be a decent read.**

 **Oh and BTW, I finally got a title for this story. hahaha**

* * *

Seirin had defeated two kings in a row: Seiho and Shutoku. Even Midorima himself, the great shooting guard, couldn't believe it himself. Akira herself, being overwhelmed by the game, passed out during the 8th minute of the 3rd quarter against Shutoku and was rushed to the infirmary. She played for only about 15 minutes for the Seiho game, being subbed in and out twice, and 12 minutes for the Shutoku game. The competition was getting tougher and tougher as they advanced and Shutoku was their toughest opponent yet.

Akira woke up to see her teammates on her bedside. She was unfamiliar of the place that lay before her eyes and worse, she couldn't remember much before passing out midgame.

"We made it to the championship league!" Riko screamed right in front of her face. She looked too happy

Akira gave a weak smile before sitting up. She looked around and noticed that her fellow freshmen were not around. "Where are they?" she asked her seniors.

"Well, Kagami had also used up all his energy and couldn't stand up afterwards. He's resting a bit with Kuroko and the others" Hyuuga replied.

Akira smiled when suddenly the quiet room was filled with her growling stomach. She turned red in embarrassment.

 **A/N: Sorry folks…. I'm kinda being lazy here and rushing a bit… It's now time for their Touou game**

It was the day of the championship league for the Tokyo prefecture. Seirin were both anxious and hungry for victory while waiting for their game against Touou. While making their way to their locker room, a loud screeching vice echoed through the air.

"Akira-kuuuuuuuuuuuun!" the girly voice cried out and before Akira could turn to confirm who it was, a pair of arms lounged around her neck and strangled her in an embrace. "I came all the way from Osaka to see you!"

The Seirin players blushed when they saw a beautiful brunette in a cute school uniform. She had shoulder length braids, bright blue eyes, and stood as tall as Akira. They were even more jealous of Akira now, since she had a ton of girls swooning over her.

"Mayumi-chan?! You came!" Akira hugged her best friend tightly. "I missed you"

"I can't believe you made it this far" she teased her friend, smacking her in the head. "Ah! You guys must be the rest of the Seirin players. Thank you for looking after Akira"

 _Who is she? Why is she already in first-name basis with Hayakawa-kun?_ , the players questioned themselves in their heads. They were in awe at her. Ozora Mayumi was an attractive brunette with a fairly C-cup chest size.

"Oh, sorry guys. This is Ozora Mayumi, my best friend since middle school" Akira introduced her dumb stricken teammates to her best friend.

"Ozora Mayumi, nice to meet you all! Ah! You must be the captain" Mayumi pointed at Hyuuga, noticing him by his glasses.

Hyuuga couldn't help but blush a little when Mayumi pointed at him, much to Riko's annoyance. She then proceeded to enumerating all their names and commended Riko for her coaching abilities.

"Eh? I'm not _that_ amazing" Riko waved her off, laughing nervously. Looks like she was ok with Mayumi. "Hayakawa-kun has never told us about you though"

"That's all right. By the way, aren't there supposed to be 11 players?"

"Kuroko-kun's right behind you Mayumi" Akira laughed as she watched her friend jump when Kuroko greeted her, bumping into one of the taller players with fierce red hair.

"You don't happen to be Kagami-kun, do you?"

"Nice to meet you" Kagami replied politely

"Anyway I'll be cheering in the stands for Seirin" she turned to her best friend and gave her a wink "Do your best" before running off.

The Touou game proved to be tougher than they had all expected. Their ace, the former ace of the Kiseki no Sedai and Kuroko's former light, Aomine Daiki was a monster on the court. He was a perfect combination of agility, speed, and technique; not even Kagami could stop him. Akira remembered him from watching some of Teiko's later plays, where he and the rest of the starters merely used the game as a contest to score the most amongst themselves. She hated the look in his face when he told Kuroko and Kagami that the only one who could beat him was him.

After Seirin's devastating loss, Akira mustered up enough courage to walk up to Aomine and speak to him.

"I don't really know you the way Kuroko-kun does, but I remember you from that Meiko game last year" she spoke to him, only to receive a tongue click from the ace.

"You sure have some balls to walk up to me and bring something as stupid as that up"

"We will play Touou again in the winter cup. And when we do, we will definitely win" she said, bowing respectfully and following up to her teammates who were all demoralized.

For Akira, who was already used to the feeling of defeat, their loss to Touou had little negative impact on her compared to her teammates. She watched helplessly as they sat with their heads down inside the locker. It was déjà vu all over again for her, watching her teammates lose their morale. _I want to cheer them up but what else can I say? I wasn't much help in the game either…_

"M-minna san, now's not the time to be moping around!" she blurted out, bringing up every ounce of courage she had in her. "I know I wasn't of much help earlier, but we have two more games to play"

Everybody looked at her and said nothing. Akira hoped that at least one of them would back her up but nobody said anything until the coach placed a hand on her shoulder.

" _He's_ right! Now's not the time to be sad. We need to prepare for our games against Meisei and Seishinkan"

Akira glanced at Riko and smiled. _At least somebody's on my side_ , she thought. It was no use. The team was heavily demoralized and the worst part was that Kagami could no longer play for the next two games.

Akira and Kuroko were walking home together after their game against Seishinkan. This was practically Akira's first time to walk home with a boy since grade school.

"Uhm, could I ask you something Kuroko-kun?" she started nervously. Fiddling with the strap of her sports bag

"What is it Hayakawa-kun?"

"Back in junior high, you were part of the Kiseki no Sedai, weren't you?"

"No. I was merely the sixth man"

"Then, you've played with Seijuro in several games then?"

"Yes" the boy gave short replies

"What was Seijuro like to you guys?"  
"Do you know Akashi-kun?"

"I-I," she had gotten into the moment that she had forgotten that she was supposed to keep her relationship with Akashi Seijuro a secret. Now that it had slipped out of her tongue, she had no choice but to tell her teammate. "I've known him since we were six. You could say we used to be childhood friends"

Kuroko gave a slightly puzzled look. "Why do you say 'used to'?"

"After graduation, when we parted ways in junior high, we sort of drifted apart. There was another side of him that I saw"

 _So he had seen Akashi-kun's other self as well_ , Kuroko thought to himself.

"A-ah Kuroko-kun I'm sorry to bother you about my inquiries!" she quickly changed topics. "I-I-I need to drop by the convenience store. I'll see you around. Ja ne!"

The blue-haired bow waved back and walked on. Once alone, Akira took a detour to some public court and produced a basketball from her bag. She wasn't good at anything else other than stealing the ball and leading fast breaks so she wanted to improve on her shooting.

"I've got a horrible aim for three-pointers," she sighed to herself. "Maybe a lay-up shot would be good for me"

The sound of a ball dribbled against the concrete could be heard. It was already 8:30 pm when she stopped, sweating and tired. Of her 50 attempts for the lay-up shot, only 23 made it in. _Am I really that bad?_ She began to question herself. She sat on the concrete floor and started laughing out loud.

"How am I supposed to beat you when I'm just as good as what I am now?!" she screamed. "Am I really that stupid to think that I could actually go up against you?!"

The feeling of defeat was not new to her. All her life, she was under Akashi Seijuro's shadow but now she wanted to break free. She wanted to show him defeat. She wanted her father to accept her. Akira hugged her knees and began to cry.

The next day was the start of their last week before summer vacation. Akira leaned on the window and stared at the skies. Riko had already rigged it in their brains that their next aim was the Winter Cup. _It all starts here… again._ Despite their loss at the championship league, Akira had not lost her popularity. She still received love notes and small gifts from the girls of her year level. One of them had actually gone too far.

During PE class, while Akira washed her scraped knee by the faucets, a girl had approached her. She was a pretty girl with nice black locks and quite popular among guys. Her name, or so Akira remembered, was Minami Kiyoko. Kiyoko was a petite and very feminine girl whom many considered as the ideal girlfriend.

"Uhm, Hayakawa-kun? How is that wound of yours?" she asked _him_ shyly

"M-Minami-san?! You scared me"

Indeed, Akira was caught off-guard when the girl had quietly crept up to her. She looked nervous as she fumbled at her PE uniform.

"Let me take a look at your wound" the girl insisted

Before Akira could refuse, the girl had already taken her knee and examined it. She was obviously trying to get close contact with her and Akira began to feel uneasy.

"Uhm, Hayakawa-kun could I ask you something?"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

 _Shit. What am I supposed to do? Why is she asking me that question?_

"Uhm not at the moment, no" Akira replied nervously when all of a sudden, the girl grabbed her hands

"That makes me so happy! Hayakawa-kun, I'm sure lots of girls have already told you their feelings but I hope you'll hear me out. I like you very much Hayakawa-kun. I'd like to spend more time with you. I'd like to be the one to walk home with you. I'd like you to protect me and hold me just like couples do. I'd-"

Upon hearing the girl's confession, Akira jerked back and pulled away. "W-What are you saying Minami-san?!"

"I'm saying that I'd like you to go out with me Hayakawa-kun"

Akira felt sorry for the girl as she looked at her intently. She didn't know what to do. This was the first time anybody had ever confessed to her, much less a girl! She didn't want to break her heart and tell her she wasn't interested but she didn't want to lie to her too.

"Minami-san," she said softly, holding her hand. "I'm very sorry. I-I cannot accept your confession although I am greatly flattered"

"Why not?!" the girl cried, her eyes already beginning to produce tears.

"B-because I don't think I can give you what you want. I'm too focused on basketball right now"

"But do you have any idea how many guys I've turned down because of you?!"

 _Because of me?! Girl, I never told you to reject other guys for my sake. I only know you as a classmate!_ Akira began screaming internally, annoyed with the girl's persistence.

"Well, there are a lot of guys out there who are more perfect for you than me" Akira replied, her voice shaky

"But I don't want the other guys. I want Hayakawa-kun"

It then dawned to her. The only way to make her leave was to break her heart. Akira hated to do it but she had no other choice.

"I'm sorry Minami-san but I," she paused for a moment. "I already like somebody else" she _lied._

Akira watched as the girl cried and run away. _Finally,_ she was left in peace. During afternoon period, the news that Akira had rejected Minami Kiyoko's confession soon spread out.

"Does that jerk even know how lucky _he_ is that Kiyoko confessed to _him_?"

"Well at least we've got a chance"

"But he made Kiyoko-san cry"

"Did you hear about Kiyoko getting rejected by Hayakawa-kun?"

"Who would have thought that _he'd_ reject somebody as perfect a Kiyoko?"

"Well Kiyoko's a bitch and she doesn't deserved Hayakawa-kun"

"At least we might have a chance"

Both girls and boys alike had been talking about it. Akira walked pass the hallway with mixed looks from the boys and shining yes from the girls. _Who knew rejecting a girl could be this hard_?

During basketball practice, the news had apparently spread out too.

"Hayakawa-kun, is it true that you turned down Minami Kiyoko's confession?"

"Man! I can't believe how lucky you are!"

Akira felt worse than their games when they talked about her. She wanted to focus on the winter cup and not on her annoying fangirls. "Uhm, can we not talk about that? I already feel bad enough for making her cry"

"Why'd you turn Minami down?"

"Well I, uh, she-"

Before she could finish, she was cut off by Riko. Akira was never more thankful to be interrupted that day by the coach.

"Listen up people! I'll be tripling your training regimen for today!" Riko announced

"WHAAAAAT?!" the whole team cried out

"Huh? You want four times?"

"LET'S GET TO PRACTICE SEIRIN. FIGHT!" fearing a much tougher regimen, Hyuuga called his team out to begin with practice.

Kagami had been missing out on practice due to his injured legs but the whole team seemed to be back to their old selves. Riko did also make mention that a certain _Teppei_ would be coming back. Akira wondered if he might have been the number 7 who had made her decide to come to Seirin.

That night, Akira crawled into bed too exhausted to change out of her uniform. This had been the case for many nights now. Her phone rang several times but she was already asleep.

 ** _Caller ID: Oba-san 8:37 pm_**

 ** _3 missed calls_**

 ** _Caller ID: Ozora Mayumi 8:45 pm_**

 ** _2 missed calls_**

 ** _Caller ID: Unknown number 10:00 pm_**

 ** _2 missed calls_**

* * *

 **A/N: so Akira's awkward confession experience was probably soooo out of place in the chapter but my idiotic other-self insisted on putting it in. And you probably noticed that in some cases, I've italicized '** ** _he', 'his'_** **or** ** _'him'_** **while referring to Akira. Yeah you know. Anyway, I finally made long chap! Yeyy! Hohohoho comments? Hate it? That's fine with me** **J**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: I finally meet him – Kiyoshi Teppei**

 **Sorry about the cliffhanger dear readers! I wanted to mess with you guys a bit. Hahahaha but you guys are so smart so it's pretty obvious who the caller is... or is it? hohoho maybe it's who you think it is, or maybe somebody else. mwuahahahaha!**

Akira woke and realized she had drooled heavily overnight. She saw her phone blinking and noticed the missed calls she had. But what caught her attention most was the unknown number. She decided to return its call first before her grandmother and Mayumi.

There was endless ringing and the unknown number wouldn't pick up. She decided to leave a voicemail.

"Sorry I wasn't able to get your call last night. I was dead tired from practice. May I known who this is because your number has not been saved on my phone? If you do get my call, feel free to call me back by lunch time"

With the beep from the other line, she ended her message.

* * *

 _He looked at the phone without bothering to pick up the call. Afterwards, he played the voicemail._

 _"Sorry I wasn't able to get your call last night. I was dead tired from practice. May I known who this is because your number has not been saved on my phone? If you do get my call, feel free to call me back by lunch time"_

 _He didn't care too much. Maybe he would surprise her instead_

* * *

During the next day's practice, two surprises awaited the team: first, Kagami finally showed up to practice and second, a tall and burly man was introduced by Riko.

Akira blushed when she saw the tall, burly man. _It's him! It's Seirin's number 7_. Although he did look a bit ridiculous wearing his uniform and indoor shoes, Akira lost no respect for the man. The man was all smiles as he introduced himself to the team. Akira learned that his absence was due to a knee injury which had to be stitched up by surgery and rehab.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on that. Let's get ready to practice!" the man cheered

"Kiyoshi baka! Change out of your uniform!" Hyuuga scolded his teammate

Once Kiyoshi had change into practice clothes, they began. To the team's dismay, Kagami seemed off the edge and out of sync with Kuroko. There was something weird about him.

"Kagami-kun, are you all right?" Akira asked her fellow freshman

"I'm fine" he replied curtly and walked away from her

Kagami wasn't fine and they all saw that. It wasn't until when Kiyoshi challenged Kagami for a one-on-one that the team managed to loosen up. Although he did hold himself well despite being away for a year, Kiyoshi lost the one-on-one. After he had congratulated Kagami, Kagami left the gym.

* * *

During their last days before summer vacation, Riko had scheduled three consecutive practice games all featuring the first years as starters. In their first game, Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara were nervous as hell. Akira was on the bench, ready to sub in at any given time.

By the second half, she had subbed in for Furihata as point guard. Kiyoshi was quick to notice her specialty.

"Hayakawa-kun's a bit like Kuroko in which they make the necessary assists for their teammates to score. Although _his_ presence isn't low like Kuroko-kun that's why _he_ makes quick steals and passes instead. Good qualities of a pointguard" he commented.

They had won all three practice games

* * *

That night after their last practice game, Akira took some time on her own to practice her shooting at the school's gym. It was quiet and the only sound audible was that of the ball bouncing against the floor. She first dribbled slowly as she walked around the orange cones, and then doubled her pace. With a quick turn, she jumped and released the ball only to get hit in the face after it rebounded off the rim.

"Dammit that hurt!" she cried out loud, rubbing her nose.

Suddenly, there was the sound of laughter which broke the silence and Akira wasn't all alone. The laughter was followed by a short series of claps.

"You're quite a terrible shooter aren't you, Hayakawa-kun?" the man laughed

Akira flinched when she heard the man poke fun at her but when she saw who had made the comment, her cheeks turned pink. "K-Kiyoshi-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"I was walking by when I heard the sound of the ball bouncing. Well you may not be good at shooting, but you're a fast one" he grinned

"Uhm, th-thank you senpai"

"Why don't we have a one-on-one?"

Akira was hesitant at first, knowing he was way out of her league but Kiyoshi's seemed to beg her into it. Finally, she accepted. For the most part, Akira only managed to steal the ball thrice from Kiyoshi but failed to score.

"I think I see the problem" Kiyoshi finally spoke, his breath still intact unlike Akira's. "You're trying too hard to score. When you do a lay-up, try relaxing your shoulders and lay the ball up with your wrist. Also, bend your knees more"

Akira blushed as she watched her senpai demonstrate his teachings to her. She remembered that match she saw last year which triggered her desire to join Seirin High. She remembered seeing the passion and joy on Kiyoshi Teppei's face as he protected his teammates from Kirisaki Dai-Ichi.

"I saw your game against Kirisaki Dai-Ichi last year, senpai"

Kiyoshi held onto the ball and looked at his junior. "You did? Well, I guess you saw what happened to my knee too" he smiled nervously, rubbing his head with his other hand.

"That's not it" she shook her head. "When I saw you play, you were having so much fun. You're the reason I came to Seirin"

Akira suddenly realized what she was saying and shut up. "G-g-gomenasai! I-I mean't that you-"

"Uh, thank you. I don't really know what I did but I'm glad you came to Seirin" the bigger man smiled

"S-senpai, I want to be able to have fun with basketball too" Akira finally confessed (a/n: not her feelings!)

"Well," he dribbled a bit before running for the hoop. "That won't be a problem" he ended his statement with a dunk

Kiyoshi looked at his watch and returned the ball to Akira. "It's getting late. W better get some rest. Riko's meeting us early tomorrow"

Akira waved goodbye to her senpai and ran home. When she had arrived, she locked the door and ran happily up to her room. She quickly dialed Mayumi, still screaming like a fan girl.

 _"Yoooo Aki-chan! Eh, gomen. I mean Aki-kun"_ the girl on the other line picked up the call with enthusiasm

"Mayumi-chan, I'm so happy"

 _"Well I can tell by the tone of your voice"_

"I finally met him. I met Kiyoshi Teppei!"

 _"Who's that?"_ Mayumi asked

"The man who inspired me to come to Seirin, Kiyoshi Teppei"

 _"Akira, are you crushing on this Kiyoshi guy now?"_

Akira turned red when Mayumi had asked her if she liked Kiyoshi. Well she wasn't sure. Yes, she admires him for many reasons, but she's already engaged to Akashi Seijuro. "Mayumi, it's a bit complicated"

 _"But you sounded so happy a while ago. What's wrong?"_

"I like Kiyoshi-senpai. He is the reason I chose Seirin but I can't tell him about my feelings. Besides-"

 _"Besides, you're engaged to Akashi-kun? Oh please! Do you even have feelings for Akashi?"_

Mayumi's words echoed in her head. Did she indeed still hold feelings for Akashi, or was it all a thing in the past? She remembered the very main reason she agreed to the engagement was so that her father could be happy but what about her happiness?

"Ano ne Mayumi-chan," she smiled. "I like Kiyoshi-senpai, but I'd like to focus on defeating Akashi for now"

* * *

"We're going to hold a training camp in the beach and the mountains!" Riko announced boldly

"Winter cup qualifiers start right after summer vacation so we've got no time to lose!" Hyuuga added with just as much vigor as Riko

Just as Riko excused herself to inform the teachers about their trip, Hyuuga gathered the team once more with a grave look on his face.

"C-Captain, why do you look like that?" Akira asked her senpai

"We're currently facing a major crisis. In order to afford two trips this summer, we had to choose cheap lodgings" Hyuuga replied. "And with cheap lodgings, it means we'll have to make our own food. The coach will be cooking for us!"

With that word out, the second years gasped in fear and clenched at their shirts. The freshmen however, had no idea what the main issue was all about.

"So what if the coach does?" Kagami asked

"Baka! Didn't you remember her honey-soaked lemons from the Touou game?!"

"Her cooking is beyond comprehensible!"

Now it finally dawned on the first years and they too began to panic. "SH-SH-SHIMATTA!"

* * *

A menu tasting was held after practice and all watched as Riko prepared the ingredients for her curry right in front of them. The end result was horrid. Not only were the vegetables whole, but they were crisp and uncooked as well! Hyuuga and Mitobe nearly died after eating 1 serving. Kiyoshi began sweating profusely and begged the first years to teach Riko how to cook the curry.

Without hesitation, both Akira and Kagami pulled out a pan each and began stir frying their ingredients. The end results looked extremely delicious – both having different types of curry. Koganei quickly tried both and screamed in delight at how delicious it was.

"Kagami, how are you able to cook so well?" Kawahara asked, looking all puzzled

"It's because I live on my own so I had to learn"

"And you Hayakawa-kun, where did you learn to cook so well?!"

"It's not that great," she laughed nervously. "My oba-san taught me seven different curry recipes because she runs a catering service alongside her restaurant" Akira replied with pride in her skill.

"You'll be even more popular with the girls if they found out you could cook too!"

Akira popped a vein on her head when Fukuda mentioned attracting more girls with her cooking. "Let's keep it a club secret then"

Riko watched as the team relished Akira and Kagami's curry. She approached the two _chefs_. "Hayakawa, Kagami – teach me to make curry"

"Sure but I'm a strict teacher" Kagami replied

"No problem coach. It's not that difficult" Akira added.

The end result looked amazing and everybody was eager to get a taste when all of a sudden, they all noticed it had the same bitter/sour taste as the previous.

"I thought you guys made this with her" Izuki whispered

"We did" Akira and Kagami replied in unison

As the team was busy trying to comprehend the coach's horrible cooking, Kuroko ate his share and commented that it was actually pretty good. It was then that Kiyoshi realized Kuroko had served himself since they had forgotten about him. As Riko prepared another serving, they noticed her sprinkling something over the sauce.

"What the hell are you putting on the curry?!" Koganei cried

"Protein powder and vitamin C" Riko replied with a sob

"THAT'S WHY IT WAS HORRIBLE!" they all cried in unison

Once Riko plated another serving without the protein and vitamin C, the team was surprised that it tasted quite normal.

* * *

The day before their scheduled training at the beach, Akira was asked by Riko to help out with the grocery shopping. Akira happily accepted, fearing what the coach might buy if she had gone by herself

"So we'll definitely prepare high-protein meals for you guys" Riko said, pulling out a box of chocolate-flavored protein powder.

"We won't need those, coach!" Akira panicked, grabbing the box from her senpai

"Huh? How am I gonna put enough protein into your diets?"

"I've got a special curry recipe from my grandmother. Why don't we buy the carrots and potatoes first?"

That was a close call from Akira. She shuddered as she remembered Riko's curry from yesterday. As they made way to the vegetable section, Akira bumped into a girl.

"S-sorry about tha-"

"Hayakawa-kun?"

 _Screw this! Why did I have to bump into her of all people?_

Right in front of Akira stood Minami Kiyoko, the very girl she rejected. She began feeling uneasy upon seeing her again.

"Hayakawa-kun? What brings you here?" Kiyoko asked nervously

 _Grocery shopping, no shi*t Sherlock. Why else would I be in the grocery story?,_ was what Akira had in mind but she had no heart to insult poor Kiyoko all over again. "I was doing some grocery for our training camp"

"Oi Hayakawa-kun, I found some jalapeno sauce. We could use it for the curry" Riko called out, appearing from one of the aisles. "Eh? You're Minami Kiyoko aren't you?!"

Kiyoko looked a bit annoyed at Riko. "Y-yes I am. Who are you?"

"I'm Aida Riko, though I doubt you would know me. I'm the basketball team's coach" she smiled

"You? The coach? How is that even possible? You don't look like a coach"

Akira could feel Riko getting pissed. Despite Kiyoko's popularity, she had a nasty attitude as far as Akira had heard. She was quite relived though that Kiyoko's attention was now on Riko but she had to stop the tension.

"E-e-ey Minami-san, it was nice seeing you but the coach and I have to get going" she stammered, directing Riko towards the opposite direction when Kiyoko suddenly dropped her basket.

"I-I-Is she the girl you like? The one you chose over me?" she asked, her eyes starting to tear up.

"What?!" Riko asked

"No she's my coach and senpai!"

Kiyoko glared at Riko and then to Akira. "How could you chose a flat-chested tomboy over me?!"

With the mention of her chest size, Riko started emitting a dark aura which shocked Akira. It looked like electric currents began emerging from her body as she clenched her fist. "Listen here, first year. Is that how you talk to your senpai?!"

"Well if you compare our body types, you look like a middle schooler" Kiyoko responded

"Minami," Akira spoke up without using any honorifics. She was fed up by the rude bitch. "Please respect your senpais. It's not really nice to see a lady with such a rude mouth"

"Ha-Hayaka-kun? I didn't mean to"

"Coach, sorry about that. The girls in my class did say that Minami-san had a horrible attitude but I never thought it was true" Akira smiled at Riko. "Anyway, about the curry"

"Show me how to make it Hayakawa-kun! Let's go to your place"

"All right then. Compared to Kagami, I think I'm a much more patient teacher"

Akira and Riko conversed with each other and completely left Kiyoko standing by herself.

* * *

 **Wahahahaha I'm enjoying this progression. What about you guys? Now that Kiyoshi's in the picture. I was a bit hesitant at the very beginning to let Akira develop some sort of crush on Kiyoshi but you see folks, Kiyoshi's the complete opposite of Akashi, right? Well it won't be easy. What about you minna-san? Do you feel betrayed at the sudden crush Akira's developing towards Kiyoshi? Hahahaha I still ship Akira x Seijuro hohoho (coz duh! the fic is basically AkashiXoc) Anyway dear beloved readers, thank you for your continued support. Stay tuned for more**

 **xoxo ~ Girlonfirebetch :***


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: That was close!**

 **Konbanwa minna-san! As always, thank you for your support and follow. Thank you for the comments and follows/likes. If you guys felt betrayed with Akira's crush…well sorry hahaha! It's to add some sorta flavor (or something like that).**

They were headed for the beach – not to play and have fun, but to train under the scorching heat of the sun. Their bare feet met the hot sand seeping in between their toes. 

"I wish we could talk to those chicks over there" Koganei gave a long sigh as he gazed towards the other side of the beach where a group of college girls played beach volleyball in their bikinis 

The other guys followed Koganei's gaze and wished too that they were having fun. Riko pulled out her paper fan and smacked their heads with it. 

After their gruesome training, all the boys _and girl_ were drenched in sweat. While they all took their shirts off to squeeze off the sweat, Akira searched for the nearest bathroom to change. The gym was waiting for them. That night, they arrived at their lodging and rushed to their rooms. 

The next day, Seirin were much surprised to see Shutoku share the same lodging as they had. It was a busy day for both teams, sharing the gym for a practice game and all. While everybody else was too tired afterwards, Akira made sure to spare some energy in helping Riko at the kitchen. She didn't want the infamous curry incident to happen all over again. The food, though simple, turned out to be good and even the Shutoku players thanked Akira for the meal. 

"Jeez Hayakawa-kun, you must really be popular with the ladies since you've got mad cooking skills" Takao, the Shutoku pointguard, complimented his fellow freshman.

"Unfortunately, Hayakawa-kun is one of the most popular _guys_ in school" Koganei replied 

Akira hated it when they talked about her popularity with the ladies because it still felt awkward for her. Meanwhile, Kawahara, Fukuda and Furihata were talking about taking warm baths later on. Akira had wished for a bath too since she was also sweaty and exhausted, but she had to be sneaky in getting into the girls' bath. 

That night, Akira quietly made her way to the girls' bath when she was stopped by the janitor, who gave her a look of suspicion. The old janitor didn't say a word but only glared at Akira, shaking his head and pointing his thumb to the opposite direction. Akira, getting that she was mistaken for being a hentai, nervously moved away from the girls' entrance. 

"S-s-sumimasen. I-I was actually heading for the guys' bath. I didn't see the signage" she stuttered and ran away. 

"Great. Now I've been mistaken as a pervert" she grumbled to herself as she took a quiet peep at the men's bath. She could feel the old janitor's eyes behind her back, and she was right. He kept a distant watch on Akira until she entered the empty bath. She sighed. Thank goodness all the guys had finished earlier or some had used the other bath. 

Akira took off the two layers of shirts she had on and her sports bra. She was thankful for the ventilation since it was so humid having all those layers of clothes on during the summer. She soaked full body on into the bath, relaxing her sore muscles. The water was soothing to her body and she felt total paradise as she slowly dozed off. 

* * *

"Hurry Shin-chan! The senpai are meeting us afterwards" 

Akira jolted up right when she heard a voice coming in. _Crap! Somebody's coming and I'm buck-naked!_ She couldn't get out since the only exit was the same entrance and some guys were definitely coming in. She had nowhere to hide except behind a lion-like stone bass from where the water emerged. 

"Eh? There's someone here too"

"Of course. This is a public bath nanodayo"

"Yo Hayakawa-kun! Mind if we join you?" 

Holy crap for Akira. There in front of her were the two towel-clad Shutoku starters, Takao and Midorima. They had nothing on but towels around their waists (as tradition). When Takao started to pull his towel, Akira turned red and faced the wall. 

"T-T-Takao-kun! Mi-d-d-d-rima-kun!" 

Takao and Midorima got into the bath shared with Akira. She never would have thought she'd be in such a compromising situation, being naked in a bath with two other naked guys. She tucked her knees tight in between her arms to cover herself as best she could. 

"Practice was tough, wasn't it Hayakawa-kun?" the pointguard felt comfortable bringing up a conversation while Midorima stayed quiet. He had a rubber duck with him.

"Y-Y-Yeah it was, Takao-kun" she replied, still not peeling her face from the wall.

"Ne Shin-chan we can't really talk about our secret weapons since we've got a spy" Takao joked, nudging the serious green-haired megane beside him.

"Urusai. There will be no need for that nanodayo" 

Akira still couldn't feel comfortable being in the bath with those two (a/n: crap Akira! You lucky bastard! Hahaha). It seemed forever when Takao kept chatting with her and they remained soaking in the bath, Akira hoped they would finally get out soon. About 30 minutes later, her prayers were answered. 

"Shin-chan we better go. Aren't you coming out too Hayakawa-kun?"

"No you go on ahead!" she cried out, more than relieved. "I-I mean, I'd like to soak a bit more. My body's really sore" 

When she had made sure that she was now completely all alone inside the bath, she heaved a sigh of victory. "Crap. That was really close". A few minutes later, she got up from the bath and changed into fresh new clothes. 

Just as she was about to get out, the door slip open and in came a half-naked Kiyoshi, grinning like a child. Apparently he still had not taken a bath. Akira's face turned red and she felt like her nose was about to burst out liters of blood. 

"KI-K-K-KI-YOSHI SENPAAAAI!" she cried out, her knees shaking

"Oh Hayakawa-kun, sorry to startle you. Ah so you've already taken a bath" the larger player smiled, walking towards the tub behind Akira.

"Y-Y-Yes I did! I-I-I, hot, er I mean, great" Akira felt her tongue get caught up down her throat as she struggled to speak clearly 

Kiyoshi looked at her with a questioning look, trying to comprehend what she was saying. "The water's _hot_? Well that's great! I guess I'll be bathing alone since you're already finished" he smiled and walked over the tub. When he turned to look at his junior, Akira was nowhere to be found. Akira had taken her time to run away when she saw her senior step into to the tub. She had seen enough naked men in one night and she swore her nose began to bleed (a/n: *figuratively*) 

She dashed outside the bath and grabbed her beating chest. Oh good, her heart was still there but it was beating rather wildly. She walked nervously into her shared room with the rest of her freshmen teammates where she was greeted by Kuroko and the rest. 

"Are you all right Hayakawa? You look like you've seen something you shouldn't have" Fukuda teased. "You didn't see a naked girl in the bath did you?" 

Upon mentioning a _naked girl_ , Kawahara and Furihata jumped up. Kuroko made no response. "Hell no!" She fired back while letting her heartbeat return to its normal pace. "It was nothing" she continued. 

"Oh so it was _nothing_ " the three boys chorused together, each grinning.

"Shut up!" she blushed even harder, recalling the sight of a muscular Kiyoshi in front of her. "I-I'm going to bed"

"Wah? So early. Let's wait up for Kagami and tell ghost stories" 

* * *

As if on cue, a sweaty Kagami arrived inside their room looking depressed, like a child who had his favorite toy taken away from him. He had missed the last hour of the bath and it had already closed when he arrived. Kagami plopped on the futon next to Akira, depressed and exhausted. 

Seirin was ready to leave and return home when the coach called them all to gather. Apparently, they were to watch the quarterfinals between Touou and Kaijo.

Akira sat with her team as she observed the game. She saw Kise Ryota, whom she had come to be friends with after their practice match and had taught her how to deal with fangirls. 

"Kise-kun has matured a lot since the practice game" Akira commented, to which everybody agreed to. She liked Kise, as a person, ever since their practice game (*though she holds no attraction!) and she was secretly hoping for him to win against Aomine. 

* * *

Another team, the first team to have qualified for semi-finals, had taken their seat on the stands. Their red-headed captain observing the heated battle between Touou and Kaijo, his eyes fell on the players of Seirin watching from the stands. He stared at one player in particular, his former teammate in junior high, Kuroko Tetsuya. A smile escaped his lips when he saw the person beside Kuroko. 

_'So that's it'…_ _he_ thought. 

* * *

**Sooo minna I'm sorry that it had been a while. Gomen gomen gomen! Reviews always accepted! Arigato gozaimasu**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: What are you doing here?**

 **Sadly, I do not own Kuroko no Basuke. How much would it cost for me to be able to buy the rights to the manga/anima/merchandise? Hohoho Thank you for the support and reads and comments and many more. I love you dear readers**

Akira finally returned home from practice and as usual, she was dead tired. It was only 5 pm but they had just been practicing since 10 am that day. After watching that inter high game between Kaijo and Touou, Seirin was more than determined to improve themselves a hundredfold. Of course, Riko pushed her team beyond their limits every time.

"Coach was really serious about her 'train-like-hell' regimen" she sighed, arriving at her doorstep of her apartment unit

She took out her key and clicked open the door. "Tadaima!" she called out despite living all alone. When she had stepped in and locked the door behind her, something gave a chill down her spine and she quickly turned on the lights. The apartment as quiet as usual but something felt weird for her. It was as if somebody had gone inside but her physical environment said otherwise.

But what the heck! Akira was too tired to even look around. She trusted her instincts and went straight up to her room. When she touched her doorknob, she felt a light bolt of electricity run through her arm (a/n: you know, that electric shock you get after walking over a carpet and touching a doorknob) She didn't mind either and only thought of the warm shower she would be getting since she was all sweaty right now.

Entering, she flipped on her lights, placed her bag inside her wardrobe and suddenly stopped. She felt her body cringe when she saw the person sitting on her computer chair with legs crossed.

"Nice to see you again"

Akira slowly turned around and her eyes widened in shock.

"W-W-what are you doing here?!" she asked. A hint of tremor in her tone

The person smiled and stood up from the chair, giving Akira a hug.

"I wanted to see you" 

**Yohohoooo! End of this chap! Sorry for yet another goddamn cliffhanger and such a short chap. I like cliffhangers hahahaha! But who could this person be? (F^ck it all. Kinda obvious, right? Hoho)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The secret, revealed**

 **…. Imma be using 'Akashi' from here on instead of 'Seijuro' since that's how Akira will be referring to him until sometime later. And yeah, usual disclaimer: I do NOT own Kuroko no Basuke**

She froze from where she stood when he had hugged her. _Why is he here?_ She panicked inside her head. She hoped that this was only some nightmare and that she would wake up soon but he was still there, encasing her in his arms, his warm breath on her neck. 

"Is it against the law for me to come see you?" Akashi asked, his yandere look fixed on Akira. "Oh, you cut your long hair?"

Akira pushed him away and broke from his embrace. "I-I-It's illegal for you to break into somebody's apartment! How did you even get in?"

"Simple. Knowing you, you'd definitely have a spare key in case you lost yours. And as to where you hid it, it was not too difficult to find it. You still have that bonsai plant my mother gave you and it seemed like the most likely place you'd hide your spare key" 

Akira flinched. She hated how easily Akashi could read through her and how he knew her so well. "How did you get my address?" she asked one more time, finding her voice to have relaxed. 

"I have my ways" he smiled sadistically, which made Akira lose her calm. "I'm kidding. I asked uncle's secretary" His smile quickly shifted from his yandere mode to deredere mode.

He still didn't answer the question as to why he was there. "Where have you been? You're all sweaty" 

_Shit! He's going to find out what I've been doing!_

"I w-went out for a jog" she lied. _Well it's not actually a full lie. We did jog around the court 50 times_

Akashi walked away, returned with a grey paper bag and handed it to her. "Take a shower and wear this. We'll be going out for dinner" 

He didn't even bother to ask if she was okay with eating out. He just commanded her to bath and get dressed, much to Akira's annoyance. She didn't want to obey him but maybe just for now, to avoid further interrogation, she would comply.

After a quick shower, Akira opened the bag and pulled out the prettiest lavender knee-length dressed she had seen in a while. When was the last time she wore a dress? Would she be able to pull this one off? Emerging from the bathroom, she was greeted by Akashi at the foot of the stairs.

"You look beautiful in that" he complimented

Akira's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at his compliment as she headed down. "Where are we going?"

Akashi did not reply but only walked out of the door. When they had gone out of the apartment, Akira was surprised to see his chauffeur waiting for them, with his hand opening the door.

"Kinomoto-san! I haven't seen you in a while" Akira smiled. Despite her hatred for Akashi, she liked his household because they were more than nice to her.

"Good evening Hayakawa-san. Indeed it has been a while but you look lovely. I see you're sporting a new hairstyle"

"Uh yeah. Tokyo weather has been humid lately"

Akashi ushered her inside the car and took his seat after giving his instructions to Kinomoto-san. The whole duration of the drive was quiet and Akira amused herself with the colorful lights of the Tokyo night. After the traffic and many detours, they were dropped off at some fancy restaurant. Akira mused over the infrastructure before her eyes and was guided by Akashi inside. He seemed to know his way around. After confirming their table reservation for two, they sat and took their orders. Akira couldn't remember the last time she had eaten in a fancy restaurant. Despite her status, Akira had lived outside of Tokyo and was happy with her grandmother's restaurant in Osaka.

"So, you go to Seirin?" Akashi inquired, resting his chin on the back of his hand

"Y-yes. How did you know?"

"Uncle's secretary. She told me all I had to know. Although, it needed a bit of persuasion for her to give all the details"

Akira flinched at his statement. There it was again, those sadistic eyes hungry for the absolute.

By and by, Akira glanced at her surroundings, hoping nobody who knew her in school would see her wearing a dress and eating with some yandere freak. Akashi soon took notice of this.

"You look troubled, Akira"

"No I'm not. Just really tired"

"Really? But it's summer vacation. By the way, how's your basketball?" his lips curled from the side

Akira nearly choked on her food when he asked about her basketball. _Does he know about me?_ She screamed in her head. What was she going to so say? Did Akashi already know about her plan?

"How are you with Seirin's girls' team?" he repeated his question

"G-girls' team?" then it hit her. _He thinks I'm in the girls' team_. "We're okay. It's still pretty new since Seirin itself is a new school" _she lied._

"Oh, do you know Kuroko Tetsuya? He plays too" he said, twisting his fork on the pasta. "Although he's in the boys' team of course, you don't happen to know him, do you?"

"K-Kuroko-kun? Yes I know him"

"Oh so you are acquainted with the boys' team?"

"N-not really. I just know some of them" _she lied again_

"Has any guy been bothering you in school?"

 __

 _There is was again, being jealous for no reason._ "Of course not!" she retaliated.

"Good, because I wouldn't want somebody else touching what's mine"

His words drowned in her. He was treating her like some object he owned.

"When will you return to Kyoto?" she asked coldly

"Eh? Sending me away already? That's bad"

"I-I mean how long will you be in Tokyo?"

"Until tomorrow" he smiled

"Where will you be staying?"

"Akira, I don't know if you're asking because you're worried about me or for yourself. Of course I'll be with you tonight"

He sounded like he was some sort of prize and that Akira should be happy to have him over. Akira concluded he was a jerk as always. After spending two hours in that restaurant, they were finally on their way back to Akira's apartment. Right after dropping them off, Kinomoto-san drove away. Akira nervously led Akashi to the spare room next to hers and showed him to the bathroom and kitchen if ever he felt like having a midnight snack.

For the whole time Akira had been trying to think of ways to tell Akashi that she wanted to break their engagement off. She wanted to do it subtly and find the right reasons to convince him. _Maybe he'll agree to it since we clearly don't have romantic feelings for each other_. Waving her mind off for tomorrow, she quickly changed into her pajamas and jumped straight into bed.

"It's a good thing coach has tomorrow free for us" she yawned and went straight to sleep

* * *

He entered her room and watched her sleep. He couldn't help but smile at what was _his_ so he bent down and stroke her face when suddenly, she began talking in her sleep.

"K-Kiyoshi-senpai," she murmured "I want to have fun playing basketball too. Arigato"

He looked disgusted when he heard her mention this _Kiyoshi_. 

* * *

The next day, Akira had slept in and only woke up when Akashi had awoken her. He reminded her that it was already past 10 am and she hadn't had breakfast yet.

After taking a shower, she got a call from Kiyoshi who had invited her to street basketball with the other freshmen.

"I'm sorry Kiyoshi-senpai but I can't. I'm, uh, I have stuff to do" she lied. In truth, she merely wasn't ready for her teammates to know her true relationship with Akashi. "Yes I really wish I could. Anyway, good luck to you and the others then" she hung up.

"Who was that?"

The voice from behind her startled Akira and she nearly dropped her phone. "I-It was just a c-classmate of mine"

"Kiyoshi-senpai? Why was he calling you?"

"H-He was only asking if I was busy or not"

"Why would he ask you that? Are you two going out?"

Akashi's questions didn't seem to end as he continued to pry. "Was he the one in your dreams last night?"

 _Last night? How did he know?_...

"Were you in my room last night?!"

"Is there something wrong about that? I was merely," his heterochromatic eyes ginned "looking out for what's mine"

It was from that statement that Akira decided she would tell him. Tell him what she thought about them.

"I need to tell you something" she said in a low voice

"Heh? Why do you look troubled?" he questioned, his yandere face on as he walked closer to Akira.

Akira quivered a little as she took a few paces back, only to be stopped by the wall behind her. There was no escaping it now. She made a big gulp down her throat and opened her mouth to speak.

"Akashi-kun, how do you feel about me?"

Akashi was taken aback by the question and more importantly by how she had formally addressed him. _What happened to 'Sei-kun'_ , he thought before grinning like a psycho.

"You are my fiancé. I _own_ you" he replied with his sadistic look

"But do you even love me?! There's no point in us being engaged or married in the future if we don't even love each other!" she cried out.

Akashi placed his hand on her neck and leaned closer until their faces were mere inches apart. "As long as it doesn't hinder victory or success, love is not required. You're mine whether we love each other or not" he smirked.

Akira felt like bursting her rage at him, and to think that she used to like this man when they were kids. She pushed him back.

"That's not fair! We don't love each other dammit! Why can't you just listen and hear me out?! There's no use for this engagement if we're both not happy about it. At least I'm not"

"I remember those days when you were so submissive to me" his lips curled into a cruel smile as he pushed her back against the wall, encasing her between his arms.

"I'm not a kid anymore! I don't take orders from you!" she yelled back at him but this fired back at her when Akashi grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her closer to his face.

"Is it because of that Kiyoshi of yours?"

"Kiyoshi-senpai has nothing to do with this!" she slapped his left cheek. "He doesn't even know I like him!"

With her words, Akashi released his hold on her and glared back at her. Akira knew she had made a grave mistake at mentioning another boy's name and that she happened to like that boy too. His silence was terrifying in many ways and Akira wanted to run away quickly but her legs wouldn't move. Akashi on the other hand, did not emit any anger from his face and merely smiled like a psycho.

"I see. So you like him then?"

"He's the exact opposite of you, Akashi!" Akira hated her stubborn tongue for not being silent when she needed it to be.

Akashi didn't reply and Akira didn't say another word. There was nothing but a heavy air of awkward silence between them. He didn't even smile at her remark. Instead, he retreated and walked slowly out of her room before stopping short on her door.

"I'll be leaving for Kyoto in a while" he said with no emotion at all. "It was nice seeing you again, Akira. The next time we'll see each other again will be at the winter cup"

Akira's eyes widened in shock. _What is he talking about? Does he already know?_ "W-what are you talking about, Akashi-kun?"

A smirk escaped from his. "I've known it for some time now. I just had to confirm it. You are Seirin's number 13"

"H-h-how did you know?" she asked, her voice shaking

"Simple. I have my ways. I think I might have an idea as to why you're stupid enough to think about what you are doing. Do you think you'll defeat me in a game where I am absolute?" he laughed.

Akira was speechless at the moment, still trying her hardest to comprehend how he had possibly known since nobody aside from Mayumi or her grandmother knew.

"Akira, why couldn't you just be more submissive and simply follow my orders? You're only making it difficult for you"

"No! Not anymore! I won't lose to you! I know that oto-san favors you over me because you were the son he never had. He always praised you to put me down but know I'm tired of that. I'm tired of being inferior to you. So to prove you and oto-san wrong, I'll defeat you at the winter cup!"

"Defeat me? You're not even in the starting lineup" he mocked. "You're just a benchwarmer and you've still got a weakness"

Akira watched her fiancé's twisted face. "Shut up"

"You won't ever defeat me. Nobody can because I am absolute"

With his last answer, he walked out of her doorstep and disappeared. Akira wondered how he even thought of it in the first place. She couldn't even ask him how he had known. As difficult as it was for her to admit his obvious supremacy in skill compared to her, Akira was stubborn. She didn't want to back down without a fight.

"I'll show you defeat, Akashi. Even if it'll be 'til my last breathe, I'll show you defeat" she whispered to herself.

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 **AAAAAnd yeyyy they met each other again! Woohooo hahaha How was this? I had actually planned to write something a bit more mature for this chap but I decided to cancel it instead. Saving that part for later! Hahahaha Gomen'nasai. Please hold on to your seats and this chap as we embark even further on until we reach the Winter cup! Arigato gozaimasu!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 : Do it again, one more time**

 **Thank you so much minna-san for the support (as my usual crappy pre-story speech goes). For temporary KiyoshixAkira moments supports, (just TEMPORARY! Akashi and Akira will have their moments please hohohoho soon) arigato. Thanks for the reviews too! As usual, I do NOT own KnB, coz If I did, who knows what crazy stuff I'd make the characters do...**

* * *

It had been two days since he had given her a surprise visit. Akashi's words echoed in her head as she dribbled the ball. Once his face started appearing in her head, she dribbled the ball harder until it slipped off her hand and bounced hard against the concrete, hitting her on the nose.

"Stupid, clumsy, good-for-nothing idiot!" she cried out, rubbing the obvious pain on her nose.

She attempted at another shot only to have the ball bounce off the rim. "To hell with my shooting!"

"You know, you can't shoot if your mind is all tensed up like that" a familiar voice laughed. Akira shrieked, letting the ball slip out of her hands

"Kiyoshi-senpai?"

"Yo! Why do you look so angry? Aren't you having fun playing basketball?"

Akira turned her gaze away from her senpai and onto her ball. At first she had joined the basketball team to get revenge on Akashi, but after playing with everybody from Seirin, she somehow lost a part of that revenge-hungry motive of hers. However after making an appearance right in front of her, Akashi managed to dig out that hatred again. She just wanted to have fun but it dawned into her mind again that Akashi was obviously better than her and it certainly was no fun losing to him again.

"Uhm Hayakawa-kun? Are you all right?" the senior asked, his smile curving into a frown

"Senpai, I'm sorry! Yes, I'm fine" _lies…_

Kiyoshi motioned for her to pass the ball to him as he swiftly dribbled past her and dunked. Akira watched in awe, just like always, and wished she could also dunk like that. Kiyoshi jump down from the rim and passed the ball back to Akira.

"Why don't you try it?" he smiled

"Are you trying to make fun of me, senpai?"

"What? Of course not!" he laughed and motioned for her to make her move. "I'll teach you how to shoot"

* * *

*Important a/n: For those who strongly ship SeijuroxAkira, this part of the story may not appeal too strongly to you. Hohoho but PLEEEEEASE bear with this chap as it'll be with some sort of AkiraxKiyoshi but hell duh! Kiyoshi still thinks Akira's a dude so no actual romance but I still wanna make Kiyoshi and Akira the main _pair_ for this chappie ONLY. Hohohoho

Back to story…..

* * *

Kiyoshi's tall and large figure stood behind Akira's small built as he guided her hands and arms into a shooting position. He taught her how to dribble under the basket and do a layup shot.

"Stop right there Hayakawa-kun"

Akira stopped in the middle of dribbling when Kiyoshi called out to her. "Am I doing it wrong, senpai?"

"It's not that, but could you try jumping higher? I wanna see something"

Akira blushed at his remark and decided to comply. She returned to start dribbling halfway on the court towards the hoop. She took a huge leap from her left foot and laid the ball inside the hoop. Kiyoshi was amazed to see it up close for himself. He noticed how high Akira could actually jump despite her short stature. With a jump like that, he saw potential in her making a dunk.

"Hayakawa-kun, try blocking my dunk"

Akira raised an eyebrow. Why was he challenging her when their skill difference was too prominent? For a moment Akira thought he was mocking her too, but she refused to believe so. She readied herself with a defensive stance as Kiyoshi dribbled the ball and darted towards her. Akira's quick reflexes seemed to come handy as she managed to block his first attempt but Kiyoshi was fast too. He opted for a fake to his right before darting to his left and jumping for a dunk. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Akira's hand in front of the ball. _He can jump this high!_ He exclaimed mentally to himself. Akira couldn't keep the ball with only her left hand so she had to use both hands to smack the ball from Kiyoshi's huge grip. They landed back on their feet and watched the ball bounce away. Akira wiped her sweat as she looked at Kiyoshi's stunned expression.

"Senpai, you didn't have to go easy on me" she pouted, apparently not too happy with the result

"Go easy?" Kiyoshi huffed and smiled. "I was playing like normal there. You were the one who suddenly jumped so high"

Akira looked down on her shoes and began feeling her legs tingle. She had exerted a lot of effort on her jump, which she hadn't done yet in basketball. She was brought back from her reminiscing with a slap on her back.

"Let's go get drinks Hayakawa-kun. I'm beat"

They made their way to the nearest convenience store and emerged with their own canned drinks, courtesy of Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi couldn't stop yapping about how Akira could manage a dunk soon enough. Akira simply blushed at the praises she received from her senpai. She too was excited at this new found strength of hers.

When classes resumed, so did basketball practice. Everybody was surprised, with their jaws dropped, when Akira blocked 2 of Kagami's dunks. Kagami himself was the most surprised, having been blocked by somebody nearly a foot shorter. Some of Akira's "fans" were watching the practice from the gym's entrance and they quickly took to "fangirling" after Akira had blocked Kagami. She looked especially _handsome_ as she ran her fingers over her hair, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"How on earth did you block Kagami's dunk, Hayakawa-kun?!" Everybody cried out in shock. Kagami was still speechless.

Riko examined Akira's body with her _analyzer/scanner eye_ and saw high numbers on her legs. She was shocked at the drastic improvement and noticed Kiyoshi grinning from the corner.

"Teppei, do you know something about this?"

"Huh? I don't know what you mean" Kiyoshi went on smiling, observing his new and improved kouhai

Akira herself was having fun with her jumping skills. Apparently, it was more fun to be able to jump so high it would feel like you were flying. Kagami looked challenged, especially because Akira was a lot shorter than him. She was only as tall as Kuroko but she blocked him.

Practice ended quite later since winter cup qualifiers were coming soon. Akira returned to her apartment all worn out. As she made her way to the kitchen to make her dinner, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

"I don't remember putting flowers on this vase" she said, walking over her once empty vase now filled with white roses that were slowly wilting

She rearranged the flowers and noticed a small white envelop fall off. She took it and opened the letter. _See you at the winter cup,_ it read. She crumpled the letter in her one hand, clenching her fists.

"Tsk! That bastard," She was in fact, referring to Akashi. Only Akashi had entered her apartment. Only Akashi knew (aside from Oba-san) what her favorite flowers were. .

Akira was getting even more fired up now.

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* * *

 **Okay minna, I'd like to end it here first. Uuuugh! I just realized how kinda angsty this is -.-**

 **So this chap isn't interesting yet but I'm hurrying for my pre-winter cup and winter-cup chapters so please hold on to the story :D**

 **ja ne!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 : Please keep it a secret between us**

 **Ok so I'm now fast forwarding to the Shutoku game! Also, thank you for reading this sh*t hahahaha I do NOT own Kuroko no Basuke because as a said earlier, who knows what I'll make them do if I did xD**

.

.

It was too early to get up, at least, for a Sunday morning. Her cellphone was ringing again. _How long has it been ringing? Three times?_ Her hands crept along the sheets, searching for the ringing phone whilst her face remained buried in her pillow. Who could blame her for being damn tired? After a strenuous practice, she stayed up late to cram her biology, world history and geometry homework. Thank kamisama that she was smart. She needed the rest but somebody was disturbing her precious slumber. Finally, she found her phone.

"Moshi moshi" she grunted. "ohayo, Akira desu" her sleepy voice echoed to the other line

"Hayakawa, why are you still in bed at this time?! I need your help!" the agitated voice on the other end rumbled

"K-Ka-gami kun? Leave me alone. I'm exhausted"

"Kuroko and I need your help on something. We've got the same history and biology teacher, right?"

"Mmm"

"We haven't done our assignments yet and I'm dying! Please, Kuroko isn't of much help unless it's Japanese history"

.

Akira incoherently let Kagami's rumbling pass through her ear as she unknowingly gave them her permission to visit her apartment so they could have a _'tutorial session'_

Akira hung up and went back to sleep for another 30 minutes or so, only to be disturbed again by the ringing of her doorbell. Her feet unconsciously brought her out of her room and towards the door. She was still wearing her loose tank top and short shorts that were once used in her track days. Her hair was a ruffled mess.

"I'm coming!" she called out, releasing a yawn in the process. "Sheesh, you don't have to abuse my doorbell"

Dragging her feet to the front door, she opened it. The bright sunlight flooded her hallway and glared at her face. She used her arm to shield her from the light.

"Who is it?" she grunted as she stood in front of the door. 

Kuroko and Kagami dropped their bags in shock. Their jaws also dropped and their eyes widened. The two boys were shocked to see a slim lady with the same messy silver hair as the _Hayakawa Akira_ they knew. Heck, the girl even looked like _him_! Kuroko and Kagami thought they had rang the wrong doorbell but … 

"Eh? Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked, finally fully awake 

Kuroko and Kagami stared at her in shock (a/n: but with more expression from Kagami though). The girl was dressed in a loose tank top, her bra strap hanging over her left shoulder, and a pair of short shorts that accentuated her legs. The two boys' cheeks turned pink. 

"H-H-Hayakwa/kun?" they stammered in unison (a/n: somehow I can't imagine Kuroko stammering but hey, it's a fanfic xD) 

Akira raised an eyebrow at her two teammates' weird expressions before looking down on herself and realizing her big mistake

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The three of them sat nervously in the living room. Akira, now changed into the boy shorts she had, served snacks and drinks to her silent teammates who refused to look at her directly. Akira took a seat in front of them and sighed.

"Look, I can explain" she said softly, her voice sounding a bit more feminine now

Kuroko and Kagami, as if on cue, looked at the _girl_ sitting in front of them. The blush on their cheeks seemed to fade now.

"You might think it's stupid but at that time, I was really angry at him" she continued

The boys continued to stare at her in silence, looking very curious and interested with her explanation.

"My name's still Hayakawa Akira and yes, my father is Hayakawa Daisuke but he doesn't have a son. I'm his only child and we've been close with the Akashi family for quite some time, even before Seijuro and I were born"

Kagami, not knowing Akira's relationship with Akashi (Kuroko knew already, remember?), had his jaws dropped.

"You knew Akashi Seijuro?!" he gasped

"Yeah and what I told Kuroko-kun is partially true. Yes, we were childhood friends" she paused for a moment to look at Kuroko for a second before continuing. "But we were, I mean we still are engaged. Akashi Seijuro is my fiancé"

"WHAAAAAAT?!" the two boys cried out, but clearly Kagami was the one who displayed more of a reaction than Kuroko

"Then what does pretending to be a boy have to do with you being engaged to Akashi?!" Kagami asked

"Kagami-kun, I think we should let Hayakawa-kun," Kuroko hesitated a bit. "I mean, Hayakawa-san explain"

Akira sighed, thankful for her sensible teammate's presence. "Thank you. Anyway…." 

So basically Akira related her whole childhood story with Akashi, from their first meeting to their parting after graduating from middle school. She told them how her own father didn't acknowledge her, only going so far as praising Akashi in front of everybody, showing his obvious favor over him than her. She also mentioned Akashi's change in behavior and 'new person' after his mother had died. Akashi was the son her father never had. Occasionally, Kagami would interrupt with a question only to be scolded by Kuroko.

"Tch. I hate to break it to you but your dad's a jerk. If I had a daughter, even if she wasn't as great as you, I'd still be proud of her" Kagami interjected, crossing his arms.

"So you're determined to defeat Akashi in a boy's body so that you can be acknowledged by your father?" Kuroko asked, confirming his thoughts in the process.

Akira nodded. "Yes but that's not the only reason. I also have grown tired of Akashi's way of thinking that he is absolute, and that he never tastes defeat. He's called me a failure to my father once, so ever since then I've hated every inch of that jerk"

* * *

 _While playing shogi all by himself, Akashi sneezed. He wasn't allergic to anything so why did he sneeze all of a sudden? He brushed it off and continued his shogi session. For some strange reason though, he thought of Akira …_

* * *

"Do you think it's selfish of me? I mean, I practically started playing basketball because I wanted to beat Akashi in something both he and my father cherished together"

Kuroko stood up and placed a hand on Akira's head, ruffling her hair. "But you are having fun with the team, right?"

"Of course I am! I mean, it didn't start out that way immediately, but I chose Seirin after watching their game against Kirisaki Dai Ichi last year. I saw the fire and determination in their eyes and I admired how Kiyoshi-senpai carried the team"

The mention of Kiyoshi made Akira blush for a moment, which the two boys noticed.

"So that's why you act nervous around Kiyoshi-senpai. You have a crush on him" Kuroko said with a light smile

"W-W-What?" she blushed even harder. _Damn you and your super observation skills Kuroko._ "I-I-Is is that obvious?"

"And that's why you rejected all the girls who confessed to you" Kagami laughed. "I kinda thought you were gay at first" 

For a minute Akira felt like punching the loud-mouthed redhead but she was too happy that the two were able to take in her explanation.

"Kuroko-kun, after seeing Teiko's game against Meiko, I was disappointed with Akashi. I never thought he would do such a thing"

Kuroko remembered that awful moment, during the Inter High finals, the match which led his dear friend to quit basketball. He was disgusted with how his teammates played with the pride and dignity of the opponents.

"Well, I just can't wait to see the look on their faces when we tell them. Koganei-senpai and the others will surely be pissed knowing that you were more popular with the ladies than them" Kagami snickered, interrupting the emotional moment Kuroko and Akira had.

"NO! Don't tell them" Akira snapped. "I-I-I don't want to be kicked out of the team yet. I wanna play in the Winter cup. Please, let's just keep this a secret between us for now"

The two boys, after much discussion and bribery, decided to keep their mouths shut.

"Anyway, can we copy your homework now?" Kagami asked, remembering his prime reason for coming

.

.

.

.

 **TIME SKIP! Pre-Shutoku game**

It had been a week since Akira's secret was exposed to Kuroko and Kagami. True to their word, they had not mentioned a single thing. In fact, everything seemed pretty normal like usual. 

Inside the Seirin locker room, the atmosphere was slightly relaxed. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, which pissed Riko to the highest level. She grabbed her paper fan and began slamming on Koganei's head.

"Ahahahaaaaw! Ow! Ow! Why does it have to be me coach?" the poor *neko-face cried

"HOW DARE YOU RELAX YOURSELVES TOO MUCH! JUST BECAUSE WE'VE BEATEN SHUTOKU BEFORE DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN SLACK OFF! IN FACT, IT'S BECAUSE WE'VE BEATEN THEM THAT WE'VE GOT TO PLAY 10X HARDER." She raged on

Everybody dropped what they were doing to focus their attention to their fuming coach.

"She's right! After their defeat against us, Shutoku's probably doubled or even tripled their training so we can't slack off one bit. And besides, they also know our play style so surprises won't be easy" team captain Hyuuga Junpei interceded, agreeing to his coach

"Uhm coach?" Akira raised her hand. "I've got a suggestion"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

*cat-face

 **.**

 **Sooooo minna-san! Akira's secret has been discovered by two of her teammates. Not a really dramatic way of discovering but hey, they discovered it xD … To be honest, I was kinda conflicted whether or not Kiyoshi should find out first, or maybe Midorima (since they were already in the bath together before! ) but I felt Kuroko was more suited for it since well: 1) he knows Akashi too, playing on the same team during middle school (well, Midorima too), 2) He knows of Akashi's** ** _other_** **personality, 3) he seemed best suited to handle such a shocking revelation, and to provide some sort of comfort and an understanding ear.**

 **Oh what the heck… Maybe I was drunk while making this chapter -.- kidding! I don't drink. I'm just crazy _**

 **Spoiler, (not so spoiler) somebody else from Seirin will discover it too! Crap, I should just shut up. Wait! Before I forget, your reviews and reactions are welcomed. Bye!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **じゃ** **ね** **!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 :**

 **Gaah! I'm currently high right now xD it's our school's Founder's Week so it's been a week-long celebration. And since I hate going out to party, I'm here in my room, all alone xD While my friends are going out with their boyfriends (and some single ones ready to mingle) who the hell needs a boyfriend when the internet is here?! Forget what I said. I'm just really high after drinking a 1.5L of Coke by mah self :D ~~~~~ Aaaaaanywaaaay, I present to you the next chapter of this crazy sh*tload fanfic xD because you guys are amazing. Thank you for reading this, for the comments, favorites and follows. You guys are da bomb**

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Coach, shouldn't our play be centered more on Kiyoshi-senpai? I mean, senpai wasn't around when we beat them last time"

Riko looked at her underclassman, thankful that somebody was agreeing with her. "Indeed. We'll center our plays around Teppei under the basket. Hyuuga take charge on scoring from the outside, and Izuki will assist you. Kagami-kun, Kuroko-kun you two score from the inside"

"All right!" they all cried out in unison

"SEIRIN, FIGHT!"

* * *

.

 **a/n: BTW, a short interruption…. This chap might be kinda boring since it'll be focused on a match (idk with some of you guys). That's all** **J okay, you may now resume reading**

* * *

It was the end of the first quarter and Kuroko was subbed out in exchange for Akira, as per Kiyoshi's suggestion. Kuroko was losing his _lack of presence_ and with Akira's ability to draw so much attention to herself (opposite to Kuroko's), she had to keep eyes on her in order to let the other players get by (a/n: oh yes, much like Kuroko-kun's "Misdirection overflow")

Midorima took hold of Takao's pass and prepared to shoot. Kagami was further behind and he was unable to make a jump to block it. The orange object gracefully slipped of Midorima's long fingers as it went in a high projectile, arching at its highest point and making its way to the hoop. Everybody could only watch in awe as it neared the basket until …

 _Not this time… Not now_

Something flashed past the defenders and rebounders. A small-ish figure left the ground and jumped high enough to touch the orange object. Akira used all her leg strength to jump and reach for the ball. Though she couldn't grab it, she managed to slam it towards the frame so that it rebounded. It shocked Shutoku to have Midorima's shot blocked by no less than a short person. It rebounded so hard but the ball bounced right at her face before falling out of bounds. Akira fell on the court, her face red from the ball's impact.

The crowds cheered and laughed at the same time. The poor _pretty boy_ risked _his_ face to save Seirin. Akira's fangirls were there too and boy were they crazily panicking when her nose began to bleed.

"All right Hayakawa!" Seirin's bench cheered on.

Kagami and Kiyoshi ran to her side after her _*_ mighty long fall (a/n: lolz One Ok Rock reference). Kiyoshi quickly took her hand and helped her up.

"That was some great defense, Hayakawa-kun!"

Akira blushed at Kiyoshi's remark, forgetting about the pain from her fall and the blood that was now dripping on her nose.

"Hayakawa!" Izuki and Hyuuga ran to their kouhai (a/n: in case yah didn't know, it means _underclassman / junior_ )

"That was a close one Hayakawa" Kagami added.

Soon she was surrounded by her teammates as the referee called for a medical time out. Kiyoshi noticed the blood dripping and cupped her cheeks in his hand, pulling her face a bit closer to his.

"That looks bad. We need firs aid" he said

"I-I-It's _*sniffs*_ fine Kiyoshi-senpai"

"No it's not" he insisted, pinching the top of her nose bridge as they waited for the cold compress. "Still, that was a nice save"

The way he smiled, she was in total bliss. She didn't care now that she was subbed back out for medical attention. The way he gently touched her face to check her bleeding nose; the way he worried about her.

 _Wait a minute… this is about our game against Shutoku, not senpai and myself…_ Akira snapped back to her senses as she received the ice pack Mitobe had given her.

"Arigato Mitobe-senpai" she smiled, holding her pack over her nose

"He says, ' _Don't worry! That was a great save. If you hadn't jumped, Shutoku would have gotten a two-digit lead'_ " Koganei suddenly joined in. Akira sweatdropped still amazed as ever that Koganei could read Mitobe's hand gestures and eyebrow movements.

"Uh, thanks"

Akira watched, along with the rest of Seirin's bench, with every inch of excitement and nervousness.

"I'll put you back in during the second half, Hayakawa-kun"

Akira looked at her coach and nodded. After that defensive play, Akira's burning passion for the game was ignited further. She squeezed the cold towel over nose only to see that the bleeding had finally stopped.

* * *

The first half had ended and each team were given 10 minutes for a break. Inside the Seirin locker room, Riko gave instructions for a change in strategy, once again putting Akira inside the game.

"U-uhm coach, isn't a bit too dangerous for Hayakawa?" Kagami interrupted, suddenly feeling worried over his _female_ teammate who had just suffered epistaxis (a/n: just in case you didn't know, it's just a fancy way of saying "nosebleed).

"I'm all right Kagami-kun. It'll be fine. A little nosebleed won't kill me" Akira replied, a vein popping from her forehead to match her evil grin. Her look obviously told Kagami to shut up and not treat her like a girl.

Kagami flinched. Girls can sometimes be so scary when pissed off. He decided to shut up and back away. So when the second half began, Akira came in as pointguard in place of Izuki.

"Be careful not to bleed to death, Hayakawa-kun" Izuki punned, giving a thumbs-up to his kouhai

"Izuki shut up and die" Hyuuga said in irritation

Akira sweatropped, obviously not finding his pun funny. "E-eh, thanks Izuki-senpai. I'll keep that in mind"

Seirin entered with a renewed fighting spirit despite Shutoku's lead over them.

"So how's pretty boy's face?" Takao teased Akira, obviously meaning no harm

Before Akira could reply, a large hand landed on her shoulder. "It's going to take more than getting hit on the face to bring Hayakawa down"  
.

Akira turned to look at the hand's owner. It was Kagami. "Uhm, Hayakawa" he whispered, making sure only Akira could hear what he was saying. "try not to be so reckless again"  
.

Akira laughed off her teammate's concern and glared at him. "Don't think I'm some damsel in distress just because you know my secret, Kagami-kun"  
.

Kagami flinched. He noted to himself, _never piss girls off_. The game resumed… While Kagami did manage to prevent some of Midorima's shots, Akira was being tightly marked by Takao. Occasionally Takao would switch marks and let Miyaji mark her while kept his hawk eye marked on Kuroko.

.

The orange orb came flying towards Akira and she took hold of it, started dribbling. She looked for an opportunity to pass but all her teammates were guarded. She was halfway to Shutoku's hoop but Miyaji had his close mark on her. Akira tried to get past the Shutoku senior with a fake but Miyaji was quick. Luckily, Akira still had the ball in her possession.  
.

 _Damn, he's marking me tight_ , Akira thought to herself as she dribbled the ball cautiously. Her eyes scanned the court to search for an open teammate but to no avail. _Should I shoot?_

From their past encounter, Shutoku had already noted Akira was only good at speed and stealing the ball. They knew well enough that _he_ was a terrible shooter so the best tactic was to guard all of Seirin's scorers and leave her open. Akira realized this and grinned.  
.

"Senpai, you think I can't shoot, right?" she grinned

"We already know that's your weakness" Miyaji replied

"I hate it when people underestimate me" she said in a lowly voice  
.

The 30-second violation count was almost coming to an end and Akira had to either pass or score. She had to score. She quickened the pace of her dribbling and pushed her way. Miyaji was caught off-guard with the sudden change of pace and nearly lost his balance when Akira went around him. Akira reached the three-point line and saw her chance. From a quick glimpse of Kiyoshi, she saw Ostubo leave their center and come after to block her. _Now's my chance!_ She jumped for shot and was immediately faced with Ostubo and Miyaji jumping to block her. Kiyoshi was now open.  
.

"Senpai!" she passed the ball between the Shutoku giants' legs and Kiyoshi was quick to receive it.

"Sh*t it was a fake!" Miyaji cried out  
.

It was too late. Kiyoshi had already landed the dunk and Seirin were now only 12 points behind. Seirin and the bench celebrated for a short moment before getting their heads back in the game.  
.

"Nice pass, Hayakawa-kun" Kiyoshi smiled, giving his junior a high-five  
.

* * *

 ** _Akira's sudden monologue:_**

 _I'm a pointguard. Though I can't make shots during a game, I can steal the ball from the opponent and give it to my team._ _I'll do my best to block as many shots as I can. I'm the shortest and most inexperienced one here, but I'm Hayakawa Akira and I play for Seirin. I may not be much, but with everybody fighting together, Seirin might just win the Winter Cup. No, I take that back. We **will** win the Winter Cup._

 _._

 _Despite my lack of talent, they still believe in me. I need to do my best for the team. **For the team**. Basketball is fun. Because of these guys, I've come to love the sport I once detested so much. _

* * *

.

Akira snapped back into reality when she felt a hand slap her right across her back.

.

"Idiot, don't space out. The game isn't over yet"

.

It was her captain speaking. She rubbed the tears filling up her eyes and smiled. _She hadn't had this much fun in a while_.

.

After the 3rd quarter, Izuki was put back in and replaced Akira. They gave each other a high five before Akira took her seat beside Riko, who had hand her a towel.

.

"Good job out there"

"Arigato, kantoku"

* * *

With the blow of the last whistle, the game ended in a tie. Kiyoshi had scored one of 2 free throws. After missing his last shot, Shutoku and Seirin fought tooth-and-nail for possession of the ball. In the end, both teams were victors. It was a draw. Seirin's next opponent was Kirisaki Dai Ichi.

.

As they headed towards one of the exits, Kiyoshi excused himself from the group saying that he had to go to the bathroom. When he left, Akira silently slipped away from the group and followed him. She stopped behind a wall when she heard two voices. (a/n: by the way minna, I know the part where Kiyoshi sees Hanamiya is supposed to happen before the Seirin/Shutoku game, but I forgot to put it earlier so I changed it over here)

.

"It's been a long time Kiyoshi" the sly voice echoed, a smirk escaped its owner's lips

"Hanamiya Makoto"

.

Akira's eyes widened when she heard Kiyoshi mention that name. She took a peek and saw the team jersey to confirm her thoughts. It was indeed Hanamiya Makoto of Kirisaki Dai Ichi. Her blood boiled and her fists clenched when she saw Hanamiya. Visions of that basketball game she had witnessed last year flashed back. She could see Kiyoshi screaming in pain as he clutched onto his knee and was later wheeled out. She saw the devastation in Seirin's eyes afterwards. She wanted to run and hit Hanamiya so hard but athletes weren't allowed to get into brawls. All she could do at the moment was control her anger and listen.

.

"You had a good game against Shutoku. I'm quite excited to face you and your team again"

"Likewise Hanamiya"

"Though, I'm worried about you. I'm pretty sure your team will lose the next two games on your own"

.

Kiyoshi looked in shock. "What are you trying to say?"

.

"Woops I think I said too much." Hanamiya smirked and stood up from where he sat. "Anyways, I do hope your injuries have fully recovered. Take care" he sneered at the taller player and walked away.

.

When Kiyoshi was left alone, he smiled to himself. "You can come out now"

.

Akira flinched. _So he knew I was here all along_. Slowly, she peered from behind the wall and saw Kiyoshi grinning right back at her as if nothing had happened.

.

"Eh, Hayakawa-kun? I didn't think it was you who was eavesdropping"

"G-gomenasai Kiyoshi-senpai" she bowed to apologize. "I-I was just worried"

.

Kiyoshi couldn't help but laugh and ruffled his junior's silver hair. "Thank you for worrying about me. You know? If I had a younger brother, I'd really wish _he_ was like you"

.

Akira opened her eyes. _Younger brother?_ She processed it for a moment. _He sees me as a brother_. It was then that she realized it. Of course there could never have been anything between them. It was quite obvious from the start, aside from her disguise. Kiyoshi was acting very much like a big brother to her. She couldn't help but giggle a little.

.

"I-I can say the same for you senpai" she forced herself to smile. "You're like the oniichan I never had"

* * *

That night, Akira went through her usual evening routine of studying from 7 to 9 pm, finishing any homework that needed to be passed the next day. She took her cellphone and rang her best friend.

.

 _"BAAAAKAAAAAAA!"_ the voice on the other end screamed. Akira nearly dropped her phone with the surprise greeting she had from her best friend

"Woah, I just came from a game against Shutoku and this is how you greet me?" Akira answered back, rubbing her pinky finger on her ear to check for damage.

 _"You haven't called or texted or even sent an email in a month! How was I supposed to react?"_

"You're exaggerating it Mayumi. It's only been 23 days since my last text"

 _"Baka! Baka! Baka!"_

"Fine, if you're just going to call me an idiot all night, I better hang up"

 _"I'm kidding. You know I love you, Aki-chan. So, how are you and Kiyoshi-san?"_

..

There was a pause before Akira replied.

..

"He said I was like a brother to him" she sighed

 _"Ooooh, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe if you were a GIRL he might have liked you!"_

"Sorry," Akira laughed. "But I kinda agree with him. He's also very much like a brother to me"

 _"Well worry about that later. How's your secret? When do you plan on letting it out?"_

"Oh, uhm about that" Akira paused to take a deep breath. "Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun both now my secret already"

.

She braced herself for her best friend's reaction.

.

 _"WHAAAAAAT? HOOOOW? WHEN? WHERE?"_

"It was here in my apartment and,"

 _"Did Kagami see you naked or something?! Holy sh*t!"_

"Baka no! Would you please calm down and listen?"

.

* * *

.

It took some time before Akira finally got the whole explanation across. She had also accidentally mentioned the encounter with Midorima and Takao in the men's bath during training camp and seeing Kiyoshi with nothing but a towel on. Akira blushed as she relayed her experiences to her screaming friend. Finally after an hour's worth of chatting, Akira hang up and went to bed. She was determined to defeat Hanamiya Makoto and his team.

.

.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaand they made it to the next round of the championship league. I'm sorry for this chap xD**

 **So point 1: Akira's sorta lost her crush on Kiyoshi now since she was kinda heartbroken when he referred to her as a younger brother**

 **point 2: forget that shi*t hahahaha I'm crazy high right now _**

 **point 3: thank you for reading this. hope to see/hear your thoughts. Next chap might be short. Don't know yet but just saying.**

 **Ja ne!** **じゃ** **ね!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 : This won't be a repeat of last year**

 **OMG thank you for the follows and favorites minna-san! Thank you *bows and wipes off a tear* You guys are truly awesome. However, I do apologize that so far, there haven't been enough Akira/Seijuro moments. I got so caught up in her anger/hatred (though I wouldn't really say 'hatred' but I've got no other word for it. Sorry, got a limited vocabulary) towards Akashi-sama that I placed more Akira/Kiyoshi moments -.- But that was all part of the plan…. I guess (crap, I'm lousy) Pls wait for Akira/Seijuro moments during and after the winter cup!**

 **.**

 ***Insert usual disclaimer***

.

Warm ups for both Kirisaki and Seirin. Akira kept a close eye on the player they called 'Hanamiya Makoto'. She gritted her teeth when she saw Hanamiya speak with Kiyoshi.

As Hanamiya made his way towards his team, Akira walked up to him and held a basketball in her hands. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and an evil-ish smirk.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked snidely

Akira looked down on the ball in her hands before looking back up to Hanamiya with a smile so cheerful yet somehow sadistic in a way. "We will defeat you, Hanamiya-san. This is revenge for what you did to Kiyoshi-senpai last year" Her fingers' grip on the ball tightened.

.

Hanamiya clicked his tongue and gave her a laughing response. "If you ever make it in the game, I'd really love to break you myself, kouhai" After his evil laugh, Hanamiya walked away.

Kiyoshi placed a hand on his kouhai's tensed up shoulders and told her to relax. Akira obliged, wishing the team their best and sat beside Koganei on the bench.

.

. . .

.

Akira didn't like what she was seeing. It was obvious that Kiyoshi had been the target for Hanamiya's underhanded violent plays but the referee didn't blow his whistle even once. Everybody else on Seirin's bench had noticed this and Koganei cursed out loud at the referee, who apparently didn't hear him.

.

Riko called for a timeout and the bench immediately busied themselves with handing out drinks and towels to the exhausted players. Riko stood in front of Kiyoshi with a stern face and told him that she was subbing him out. Akira watched as her two seniors argued, with Kiyoshi being too stubborn at the moment. He said something about hating the coach forever if she subbed him out.

.

.

 ** _time skip . . . I'm sorry I just had to_**

* * *

.

.

Seirin had just survived their game against Kirisaki Dai Ichi, but had to pay the price with a heavily bruised Kiyoshi. Everybody was exhausted but the joy of having made it to the Winter Cup overpowered that exhaustion. As a reward, Riko decided brought them all to a local hot spring the very next day after a rigorous training.

.

"All right, the hot springs!" Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda cheered on

"Ne, ne Hayakawa-kun. Maybe there'll be cute girls too. You gotta tell us your secret on how to attract babes"

.

Akira face flustered at Koganei's suggestion. ' _Me, in a hot spring?'_ Was more of what she freaked out about.

"Hayakawa can't go to the hot springs!" Kagami suddenly interjected, standing in between Akira and the other boys.

Everybody was surprised. Akira glared daggers at Kagami once more, threatening him not to say more than he should.

"Eh? Why not?" Riko asked

"Eh, uhm, well – he , er" Kagami found it hard to explain and regretting getting himself in the position.

"Ano, uhm I've got an important appointment tomorrow" Akira inserted, relieving Kagami of the burden of explaining. "Yeah, remember Mayumi-chan? I'm seeing her tomorrow"

.

The players remembered the cute girl who had come to see their Touou game during the summer. She was Akira's best friend but they somehow suspected her to be _his_ girlfriend.

.

"Naw, I'm jealous that you and Ozora-san are close. Are you in a relationship or something?" Koganei asked, resting the back of his head on his palms.

"No I assure you. Mayumi-chan and I are just best friends" Akira defended herself. _I'm actually straight_

"Maybe you could give me her number? Wait! Maybe you could invite her to the hot springs too" Koganei winked but ended up receiving a blow from Riko.

.

So in the end, Akira did indeed miss the hot springs but pretended to be sad about it. That night, she packed her bag for Osaka.

* * *

.

"AKIRAAAAAAA!" a cute brunette came running towards her direction and attacked her with a bear hug

"M-Mayumi-chan, I miss you too but could you please not try to kill me every time we meet?"

"Ah, sorry about that. It's just that it's been so long since we last saw each other"

They rode a taxi and arrived at an all too familiar family restaurant which Akira had not seen since starting high school. The delicious aroma of curry and octopus soup filled the air and sent her nose tingling. The doors opened and welcomed her. She ran past the tables and entered the kitchen where the smelled of food filled her up.

.

"Oba-san!" she cried out and ran towards her grandmother.

.

The grey-haired woman stopped stirring her pot and embraced the girl tightly. "Akira, how I've missed you!"

After a long lecture, basically scolding, on why she rarely called and never visited, Akira and Mayumi both received the curry special on the menu. Both girls were starved like lions and immediately consumed the meals.

.

"What brought you back all of a sudden?" Sawako asked her granddaughter

"I'm going to practice and train by myself for a week" Akira replied

"Eh? Why not just practice with the team? Not that I'm not happy you're here" Mayumi inserted

"They're strong and they'll be practicing hard too. I want to get stronger on my own as well. I want to develop my strengths in order for me to be able to contribute more for the team"

.

Akira stood up from her seat and clenched her fists. "Yoshi! I'm going to get stronger than before"

"You really love basketball now, don't you? I can see it in your eyes" her grandmother smiled. "They're burning with passion"

* * *

.

That very afternoon, Akira began practicing in one of the public courts near the park, with Mayumi watching her. Mayumi saw how horrible her best friend was at doing outside shots but was amazed at her layups and jumps.

.

"I guess all those years in track-and-field really have made your legs strong" Mayumi praised her

"I thought too, but jumping isn't enough though. For the next six days, I'll shoot 500 baskets each day"

On her own, Akira trained hard. She jogged early in the morning, shot her first 100 baskets, ate breakfast, did some stretching and sit-ups after taking a shower then returning to the basketball court until nightfall.

.

Today was her last day and she would be taking the train back to Tokyo after lunch. She ate with Mayumi and her grandmother, and was driven to the train station afterwards.

Arriving at her apartment, Akira plopped herself on the couch, too tired to even climb up to her room. She had a lot of catching up to do in school after being gone for a week. Luckily, she was smart and some of the teachers adored her (the others being pissed at how smart she was).

.

 _School the next day. . . ._

 _._

Upon arriving, Akira was immediately surrounded with her fangirls.

.

"Hayakawa-kun, where have you been?"

"You were absent for a week so we were so worried about you"  
"Is it true you got sick?"

"Were you all alone? I could have taken care of you"

.

Akira was being suffocated with the unending questions and comments. How she wished they would leave her alone already. And on cue, the door opened, in came the teacher. He noticed Akira back on her seat.

"Oh Hayaawa-kun, you're finally back" he smiled. Thankfully, he was one of the nicer teachers

Class went on monotonously and the sound of the bell for lunch break enlivened her up. She made her way out to look for Kagami and Kuroko, only to find Kuroko by himself.

.

"Hayakawa-san, you're finally back" he commented

"Kuroko-kun? You're not with Kagami?"

"He left for the States after the hot springs. Coach said something about him training with his mentor"

"Oh, I see"

"What about you? You've been evading the coach's training. It's a good thing though. You're lucky. Her dad made us take our shirts off on the first day"

.

Akira flinched. Thank goodness indeed that she wasn't there. That aside, she told Kuroko that she wasn't slacking off on her own. She also practiced by herself.

.

.

"Where were you?" The rest of the team asked, Riko looking like she's ready to explode

"You first years sure like to disappear, huh?" Riko grinned evilly, her hand gripping Akira's ear

"C-Coach, ittai! I-I, o-ow! Wait, let me explain. I went back to Osaka to visit oba-san but I wasn't slacking out. Ittai!"

.

Akira whimpered as the shorter girl finally let go of her and crossed her arms. She examined Akira from head to toe. Akira knew immediately what was going on, the coach was using her scanner eye.

"You've been doing side jumps, jogging and high jumps every day, haven't you?" Riko asked

"H-How did, eh- I mean yes I have"

"Good" Riko grinned. "Because we're definitely going to win the winter cup"

* * *

.

.

.

 **Aaaaaand I finally wrote another chapter! I'm so sorry mina-san. It took me two weeks to write this crappy chap so I hope it was all right. NO long a/n for this. I'm cr zy**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 : Go back to being a girl?**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

December had just graced its first week. Scarves and cardigans were all the rage now but to a bunch of basketball idiots –er, I mean players, it was just more and more practice as the winter cup drew closer as the days went by. The week-long high school tournament was receiving quite a lot of attention in the recent years.

Akira woke up to the sound of her alarm. She yawned and wished for the winter holiday break to come. Apparently, living alone as a boy had turned her into a lazy one.

"Maybe I'm slowly turning into a boy" she sighed heavily to herself and dragged herself all the way to the kitchen and rummaged inside her refrigerator. Its contents? Not much. She hadn't shopped for groceries in weeks. Yep, she was becoming lazy around the house now.

.

.

* * *

She rode on her new bicycle which she had just bought last week. Arriving in the classroom, she was greeted by the usual greetings from her adoring fangirls and a few guys.

"Hayakawa-kun, some of us were planning a Christmas party a-a-and" the little raven-haired girl blushed as she spoke. "We'd like you to come!"

Akira felt sorry for the girl. Though she had already grown accustomed to her fangirls, rejecting them was still a tad difficult for her. "I-I'm sorry Kagawa-san but I'm heading home on the 24th. I would have loved to but I've already made plans" she smiled. _Plans? I wonder now…_

.

.

"The tournament's opening ceremony is coming up in 4 days! Where the hell is Kagami?" an infuriated captain Hyuuga burst inside the gym when he saw their ace was still nowhere to be found.

.

Everybody sweatdropped. Why did they have to have such a short-tempered captain and coach? But indeed, how long was Kagami planning on training overseas? He was skipping a terrible amount of schoolwork and he wasn't blessed with a very high intellectual mind.

.

* * *

 ** _. . . time skip. . ._**

.

"Gather around!" Hyuuga called out with authority and his arms crossed. Riko stood beside him. "At 10 am tomorrow, the opening ceremony for the winter cup will begin, followed by the first match. We aren't playing Touou until 3pm in the afternoon"

Akira felt her heartbeat suddenly take a quick pace. Was she nervous? This was a second chance to finally get to face Akashi in a match. She clutched her shirt and heaved a deep sigh. She knew that despite her newfound love for basketball, there was still that tiny part of her that wanted to play out of her selfish desire to defeat the 'emperor'.

"Hayakawa-kun, why are you so tensed up like that?" Akira was brought back into reality by Izuki.

"Senpai! I-It's nothing, really" she smiled. What was she nervous about? She should be excited!

* * *

It was around 7 o' clock in the evening, or some time near 8 that Akira decided to cool her head off in the park. She went for a solitary walk to let the whole winter cup thing sink into her head. A long heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"It's been a while, Akira"

The voice behind her back sent shivers down her spine. It nearly gave her a heart attack. Nobody else called her _Akira_ except for him.

"So you're here already" she replied, her back facing him as she did not turn to face him. She suddenly felt a heavy presence behind her as he moved closer.

"We arrived this morning. I must say, tonight's quite ideal for a stroll in the park. Mind if I join you?"

Akira felt her hairs tingle when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt her shoulders stiffen at the contact and the cold weather didn't help much at all.

In the end, they did walk together. Akashi asked her about school ad her life since summer. Akira gave short responses, showing no interest in conversing with him until she finally said;

"We'll defeat you, I swear" she said

"Defeat me? You make me laugh Akira. You're not even in the starting lineup" the emperor chuckled, grinning at her

.

* * *

. . . _Meanwhile. . . ._

 _._

She had just emerged from the convenience store with a bag of snacks. She was still in her school uniform.

"Yosh! Tomorrow is our revenge game against Touou Gakuen" the girl clenched her plastic bag of goods and marched her way out with confidence.

She stopped in front of the park when she saw a familiar person who was wearing the Seirin track suit. She had no doubt it was Akira, but who was the man with _him_? She snuck closer and hid behind a tree, her curiosity getting the best of her. Upon eavesdropping, she saw a head of red hair. _Red hair…_ It seemed so familiar to her as well. Where had she known such a person? It wasn't until she heard their conversation that she knew.

"That's Akashi Seijuro!" she gasped. "Do they know each other?"

She quietly followed the two, careful not to get too close… She heard their conversation.

"So when are you planning on telling your beloved teammates about your secret?" Akashi smirked

.

.

* * *

"Shut up! This isn't your problem so let me handle it myself" Akira hissed at him

Everything else that happened afterwards had occurred all too fast. Next thing she knew, she was pinned on the wall and Akashi smirking devilishly at her. He leaned forwards until their faces were merely a couple of inches apart. Akira felt suffocated because of her increased heart rate. She felt paralyzed by his gaze.

"Do you think they'll accept you once they've found out?"

"Shut up"

"What would happen if they realize you've been deceiving them?"

"N-no. Shut up" her voice was breaking. She wanted to run away

"Heh? But you do realize they've only accepted you because they thought you were a boy, right? That somehow they could use whatever it is you had so they could win? Truly you are an idiot"

After seeing the tears roll down her face, he bent closer and finally crashed his lips into hers. Before she could even react, he pulled back and spoke without a smile.

"In this world, winning is everything. Winners are validated and losers are denied. Until now, I've never lost at anything, and I won't in the future. Since I always win, I'm always right. If you oppose me, I'll crush you no matter who you are. So I suggest you go back to being a girl and stand down"

.

.

Riko couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. "I-Is this yaoi!" she shrieked. "H-h-he just kissed a guy!"

Bu then she heard Akashi say something about Akira going back into being a girl. _Wait! D-did he just tell Hayakawa-kun to go back… to… being a…. girl?_

"Oh? It looks like somebody's been eavesdropping" Akashi smiled and turned to look at Riko as if he knew she was there.

"C-c-coach?! You're here?"

Riko still couldn't speak. Whether it was because of Akashi's aura, or just suddenly finding out about Akira's secret, she couldn't utter a word.

"Well, good luck explaining. I have to go" Akashi smirked, gave Akira a pat on the shoulder and backed away.

"Wait! You knew she was there, didn't you?! You knew somebody was listening to us!"

"I already told you, I'll crush you if you oppose me"

.

.

Poor Riko, still having a hard time taking in all that she had seen and heard. Who was Hayakawa Akira indeed?

"H-H-Hayakawa-kun? What was that all about?"

"Gomenasai coach. I haven't been completely honest with all of you"

.

.

* * *

And so Akira related in detail her past, her life with Akashi and her sudden risky decision. Riko couldn't believe everything completely at first.

.

"I'll show you instead, coach" Akira said, taking her jacket off and unrolling the bandages underneath the two layers of shirts she had on. She then took Riko's hand and placed it over her chest.

"Kyaah!" Riko shrieked upon feeling the two lumps over the chest she was touching. "Y-You'ra a…"

"I'm a girl"

"An A-cup! You're boobs are smaller than mine!" she squealed, suddenly clasping on Akira's chest

"E-eh? That's what you're worried about coach?" Akira sweatdropped.

"And I thought my boobs were small. I'm so glad somebody else has smaller boobs than I do!"

"Uhm coach, this is kinda serious. And can you please let go of my- er, my chest?"

Realizing the awkward atmosphere, Riko let go of Akira's breasts and coughed. "Well, the rest of the team will have to know this sooner or later. However, I can't blame you for what you decided to do. I'm not saying it was a bad thing, but it wasn't entirely a good thing too. So you're playing basketball for revenge?"

Akira let out a laugh to lighten the mood. "Well at first it was like that. I wanted to prove to my father that I could follow him in his footsteps and be somebody he could be proud of. That's why I was so jealous of you, coach, when your father gushed about how amazing you were"

"My dad can be a jerk sometimes but yeah, I know he means well"

"I wish my father would just say even a simply, 'good job Akira'."

 _So this is what girl talk is like. I haven't had a serious one in years_ , Riko thought to herself and smiled at her kouhai.

"Well, you were able to prove that you could be in equal footing with the guys so I'll keep your secret"

Akira's eyes glimmered with some sort of hope in them. Maybe she could go all the way. She never regretted her decision from the beginning. She never regretted choosing Seirin and being one of the members of the boys' basketball team. She never regretted challenging Akashi head on.

 _Go back to being a girl? No, not yet,_ Akira smiled to herself and to her coach. She was going to finish what she started.

.

.

.

* * *

The day of the Winter Cup opening ceremony had arrived and all teams gathered at the huge stadium. Akira was nervous. She had never seen so many people under one roof. The Winter Cup had just recently grown in popularity that could match up the Inter High tournament of the summer. She looked at all the sponsors and people flooding in. Then all of a sudden, she saw two suit-clad men in the VIP box and recognized them both instantly. Her father and Akashi Masaomi were seated along with other businessmen as they watched from the box.

 _._

"Is the Winter Cup really that big of an event?" Akira asked, still surprised to see her father so soon

"It's been growing fast and they say that in the past 2 years, it has even surpassed the summer event" came a reply from team captain, Hyuuga. "Idiots! Don't be so nervous. We aren't guests here. We've earned our place just like everybody else" he suddenly yelled at Furihata who was quivering like a baby.

.

"Ano ne, may I be excused for a moment?" Kuroko asked for permission, holding his phone out

"You first years sure like to runaway whenever you like it, don't you" Riko glared at him, grabbing his head

"No, i-it's just that I've received a text from Akashi-kun and he wants to meet up"

.

Everybody looked astonished upon hearing of Akashi. Random thoughts were now coming into their heads but Riko noticed Akira's reaction first. She noticed that Akira tried her best to hide her sudden discomfort upon hearing his name, after what he did to her that night.

.

"Fine go on Kuroko-kun, but don't take too long"

.

After letting the teal-head boy go, she gave orders for Furihata to follow Kuroko. Akira too wanted to sneak up on Kuroko and hear what Akashi had to say but she shook her head. She had nothing to do with that.

.

.

.

.

 **Aaaaaand another chapter after a loooooong wait. I'm so sorry, as always, minna-san. I just finally got off the hook for this semester and I'm able to enjoy 2 weeks of semestral break so I decided to make the most. Hohoho Thanks for all the likes and follows guys! You're all too sugoi!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 – The battle begins**

.

 **Oh gaaawd belated Happy New Year Guys!**

 **I do not own KnB**

 **warning: might contain more of Akashi's jerk self**

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The locker room was awfully quiet as the team gathered around. Riko glanced back and forth from the clock to her boys and heaved a deep sigh. She didn't have to tell them to fight hard since she could already sense the aura of revenge coming out from their bodies. Today was a chance for payback after having lost against Touou during the championship round of the summer interhigh games. Kagami sat on one corner of the room and had a serious look on his face. Akira walked up over to him.

"Kagami-kun, what's bothering you? I thought you'd be so fired up t finally face Aomine again"

"I am excited to beat him but about what happened earlier" Kagami paused to look at Akira. "I saw Akashi and he was, I mean there's really something intimidating about him. Not that I'm scared of his sh*t!"

"Baka-gami, mind your tongue" Hyuuga, the ever so responsible team captain, chided his kouhai. "Save that spunk for later's game"

.

.

. . . . .

"Do your best everyone!" Akira spoke with not as much power and spunk as she usually had. Each day, she grew more nervous as heck, especially now that they were up against Touou again.

She knew for a fact that Akashi and his Rakuzan teammates were definitely entering the finals, no question to that. But Seirin on the other hand, were underdogs who had hurdles to come across. The whistle marking the tipoff went out and the crowds began to cheer. Kiyoshi had obtained the ball, giving Seirin the upperhand.

.

.

* * *

 ** _Timeskip… third quarter…_**

.

.

"Hayakawa-kun, start warming up. I'm putting you in when the moment comes"

.

Akira took her coach's command and began warming up quietly in the corner. She heard the coach call for a substation, and Kuroko was coming in to the bench. As she made her way to the court, Kuroko gave her a high-five and cautioned her against Aomine and Imayoshi.

.

Pressure… Immense pressure… That was all what she felt during her 8 minutes on the court before getting subbed back out due to a minor injury – Imayoshi's elbow colliding with her forehead.

.

From inside the infirmary, she watched the remaining time of the game being broadcast live. Kagami and Aomine were so different. It looked like some really high-level play and nobody else on the court could interrupt. It was like those two were in a _zone_ of their own.

"Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are really something. They're really gifted" she said

"True. It's unbelievable, the talent that they have. I kinda feel envious" Fukuda replied. He was the one sent to look after Akira in the infirmary.

.

Akira was already relieved to find out that there were no fatal injuries or trauma to her head, just a minor tear on her skin and some bleeding and a bruise.

.

With the last few seconds in the game, Kagami scored a powerful dunk just before the buzzer went out, signaling Seirin's victory against Touou. She waited inside the infirmary, as the doctor ordered, until her teammates rushed inside with the biggest smiles on their faces. ( **a/n: I know in this part, it was different. Seirin were knocked out cold inside their locker room and exhausted)**

 **.**

"WE MADE IT TO THE NEXT ROUND!" Kagami roared inside the small room

"Bakagami shut up. There's no need to shout" Hyuuga kicked his kouhai in the ass, scolding his ever so boisterous voice.

.

Akira was speechless. It's not that she never believed her team could make it, or defeat the former ace of the kiseki no sedai, but the trauma of last summer's series of losses had dissipated from their memories. Although it was still the first round, to them, the championship wasn't too far away now.

.

After the doctor had gave Akira the good-to-go call, Seirin made their way out the cold winter night. It was already around 8 pm when they left the stadium which were still full of cheering for the last game of the day. Suddenly, Akira's stomach began to grumble.

"S-s-sorry! I don't know why I'm hungry when I didn't even last a whole quarter. I'm sorry!" she blushed hard and guarded her stomach with both arms.

"Let's all have dinner together then! I'm as hungry as Hayakawa-kun here!" Kiyoshi laughed, smacking his kouhai's shoulder

"Uhm, well uh, my place is quite nearby." Kagami shyly interrupted, offering his home.

.

The Seirin people were shocked to see him live in quite a big space all to himself. There was minimal décor and furniture around. Clearly being resided by a man who thought of nothing but sleep, food and basketball.

.

"Wow Kagami, you're pretty well off. You got all this space to yourself?" Riko asked

"My dad was supposed to come and live with me but work got in the way"

"You've got a really nice place Kagami-kun!" Akira commented, jumping on the bean bag that was lying on one corner. Indeed, the apartment was surprisingly neat.

"O-Oi, careful! Are you forgetting about your injury?"

.

Akira ignored Kagami and managed to doze off. Her head was pretty heavy after all. She managed to wake up at the smell of a delicious hotpot what was ready to serve. To everyone's surprise, the food looked pretty normal, seeing that it was Riko who secretly prepared it.

.

"Haaa! Coach, you've really been working hard on your cooking! It looks delicious!" Akira cried out and got ready to dip her chopsticks inside the bowling stew before she was stopped by Hyuuga.

.

"A-ah, wait a minute Hayakawa-kun." He said, then turned to Kuroko. "Eh Kuroko-kun, why don't you try it?"

Kuroko looked at the captain suspiciously, sensing something. Akira didn't mind at all and dipped her chopsticks inside, hoping to grab a piece of meat when she found a piece of cherry instead.

"Why the hell is there a fruit in the hotpot?!" Hyuuga cried out.

"I-It was inside the bag"

"That was supposed to be for desert!"

"Calm down Hyuuga. I'm sure it's not that bad" Kiyoshi smiled and also dipped his chopsticks inside only to pick up a banana. "Eh, Riko? Why didn't you slice it at least?"

"It's actually quite good. The meet seems to blend with the fruit" Akira spoke with a mouthful. _She had lost her ladylike manners…_

.

With that note, everyone ate without suspicion and enjoyed the meal along with their laughter and chitchat. Until 30 minutes later…. While Kagami and Kuroko were out in the porch having a nice conversation, Izuki suddenly felt his stomach turn. His face turned blue. It was Mitobe, Koganei and Furihata who followed suit. Akira felt weird too. _Is it the effect of the head injury? Or is it…._

.

Her vision began to blur and everything started going black, but her eye managed to catch a glimpse of a white plastic bag place above the counter and it read…. _Crap! It can't be…_ and her vision went black. Kagami rushed inside when Kuroko too passed out. He panicked when he saw the entire team on the floor. It looked like a crime scene from where he stood, then he suddenly felt weird too.

"N-no, was it the food?!" Kagami then saw a bag of protein powder on top of his counter. "Crap!" then he collapsed.

Sometime later, they all managed to regain consciousness. Riko, feeling all the guilt inside her, sat on the corner with a dark aura surrounding her.

"I didn't expect it to have such a horrible aftermath" Kiyoshi whispered to their captain, who was still in trauma.

"I-I-It's incomprehensible… Riko really cannot cook" Hyuuga shivered as he remembered the after taste.

.

While they were getting themselves ready, Koganei felt the urge to answer nature's call. On his way to the toilet, something must have gone wrong, he opened the wrong door and ended up inside a bedroom. There was a lump on the bed, and that lump seemed to be…. _Moving?!_... Out of sheer curiosity, he pulled the blanket covers and screamed out loud at what he saw.

"KAAAAAAAH! B-B-BLOOOON-DE! BLONDE!" Koganei screamed, running out into the living room.

.

Everyone was confused. Until a female voice came out of nowhere. A few seconds later, a beautiful, busty, blonde walked in in nothing but a tank top and her panties. She was speaking in English.

.

* * *

" _Gosh, what's all this noise about?"_ the beautiful blonde said, stifling a yawn. " _Oh Taiga, you're finally back. I MISSED YOU SOOOOO MUCH!"_ she cried out and ran to…. Kiss him! **(a/n: well this might be obvious, since you guys have already seen the anime, Alex speaks English so the italicized quotes depict English)**

Everybody was caught off guard and were just as shock to see a beautiful older woman kissing Kagami. The boys turned red. The woman took a notice of them.

" _Hey, who the hell are you guys?"_

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOUUUU?!"

" _Alex! What are you doing here? When did you get here?"_

.

While Kagami still bantered out in english, 'Alex' introduced herself to the rest of the team. When they all managed to collect themselves and sit down, Alex revealed that she could speak Japanese since she majored the language in college. Akira couldn't help but stare at Alex for some strange reason. When Riko took a seat right next to Alex….

"Wait coach don't stay close!" Kagami cried out

.

Too late… Alex had already called Riko cute and kissed her on the lips. Poor Riko. Shocked and speechless, having her first kiss stolen by an attractive woman. Then Alex turned her eyes on Akira and immediately flung herself around her.

" _Goooosh this boy is so cuuuuute!"_ Alex screamed in english, her boobs practically suffocating Akira's red face

" _Th-thank you for your kind words but I can't breathe"_ Akira seemed to shout silently, trying to catch her breath. Akira kept telling herself that she was _straight and straight as f*ck_. The rest of the team looked at her as if she was some foreigner. "What? Why are you guys staring?"

"How is it that you can speak English so fluently?" Hyuuga asked

"Oh that. It was a major subject in our elementary and I had a tutor back then too" Akira smiled.

 _._

 _Filthy rich kids…._

.

From what the beautiful Alexandra Garcia a.k.a Alex had told them, Kagami's childhood friend from America had enrolled in Yosen and is on the same team as Murasakibara. Since Akira had not been to that street basketball tournament before, she had no idea who Himuro Tatsuya was.

.

"You know, you've got a really pretty face for a boy" Alex suddenly said, going off topic to Akira.

.

Akira and Kagami froze in shock while the rest only stared at them both. Kagami wished Alex would shut her mouth for a second, and Akira wondered how Alex suddenly thought about her face. _Crap…_

"Alex!" Kagami scolded the blonde

"Seriously look!" Alex grabbed Akira's face as if displaying her for him to see. "He's got a nice smooth face that's not like most gruff-looking men. Akira, you must be really popular with girls, aren't you? They say that most girls prefer the boy-next-door type of look"

.

Everybody sweatdropped. They didn't need to be reminded of how popular Akira was without even trying. Kagami, Kuroko and Riko were relieved. However, both boys had not yet known that Riko had already found out about the secret.

.

* * *

The next day, Seirin would play their second match on the afternoon after Rakuzan's. Akira was buying herself a drink and for the others as well at the vending machine.

"Let's see, iced tea, orange juice and Gatorade. What else did they want?"

Akira was too absorbed in the drinks that she didn't notice the person standing behind her until she turned around. She jerked backwards in surprise, dropping her drinks in the process.

"You're too careless, Akira"

"W-w-what are y-you doing here?"

"I had a game of course. And yours is coming up next, am I right?"

Akira took the drinks from Akashi's hand and walked away, not wanting to face him for another second. Next thing she knew though, his hand grabbed her arm violently. She looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"Did you just walk out on me and ignore my question?" His heterochromatic eyes stared daggers at her and his lips curled into a sly smirk

"L-let me go" she whimpered, her voice trembling. She hadn't seen him this scary in a while

"I like this submissive side of you" he whispered on her ear, his cold breath sending shivers down her spine as he tightened his grip on her arm.

"I-It hurts Akashi. Let m-me go" her voice was breaking as it became more evident that she was almost about to cry now.

"You should see yourself now. You look weak and pathetic it makes it so easy for me to crush you"

Every word Akashi spoke, his grip tightened even more on her arm and Akira could not take both the physical and mental taunting any further. Her eyes began tearing up. She didn't know why she was so scared of him all of a sudden. Everytime she saw him, she always felt inferior.

"Why don't you beg for it? Beg for me to release you"

"P-p-please, you're hurting me"

"I can't hear you"

.

.

* * *

.

"Hayakawa-san! Hayakawa-san, have you got the-"

.

Kagami froze on his steps when he saw Akashi pinning Akira on the wall and gripping her arm tightly. Akira looked like a wreck as she fought back to hold up her tears. It was like seeing a bully preying on his catch. He ran to her aid.

.

"Oy Akashi! What do you think you're doing?!"

.

Akashi looked at the taller redhead and released his grip on Akira and laughed. "Well I guess I won't be holding you for long Akira. Good luck on your game" and he walked away in all his emperor glory while Akira stood still trembling in fear.

.

"H-Hayakawa-san, are you all right? What did he do to you?" Kagami ran to Akira, helping her steady herself.

.

Akira's eyes were like that of a ghost as she stared into nothing. She didn't respond to Kagami immediately. The pain in her arm was still throbbing and the words continued to echo in her head, until Kagami pulled her close and hugged her tightly.

.

"It's all right now" he whispered gently with his arms around her still

Akira finally got back to her senses and looked up at Kagami. "Kagami-kun?"

"Are you okay? It looked like he was gripping your arm too tightly"

.

Kagami, realizing how close they were, let his hug go and backed up a bit. He rolled up Akira's sweater and saw a hand mark, proof that Akashi had indeed held her too tightly. Akira noticed the mark and pulled away, rolling her sleeves back down.

"I'm okay" she smiled. "Thanks for coming though"

.

.

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 **… …** **.** ** _Time skip .… …_**

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.

After having defeated both Nakamiya and Morizono North, Seirin are finally advancing to the quarterfinals.

.

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* * *

 **A/n: first off, I'd like to apologize for the long gap in between. I had originally wanted to put this chap up by New Year's eve but I didn't make it in time. Anyway, thank you all, sosososo much for your continued support. Never expected this story to get that much views and thank you for the faves, follows and comments.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Aaaaaanyway, next chap might be a bit short(er) Probably gonna work on another fic. Gaaaah! stupid short attention span! I easily get distracted with new ideas *_***


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 -**

 **Hiiiiiiiiii everybody! I'm back after soooo long. I sincerely apologize for keeping you all hanging. I was beginning to lose hope for this fic(cursed writer's block). I was running out of ideas plus college life just became hectic since I'll be entering Med school soon aaaaand I was easily distracted by this other fanfic I'm working on. But guys, I'm so touched that you guys still follow this and the comments were also so moving so it helped boost my morale and I decided to get back to working on this. I was planning on finishing this chapter before 2016 ended but alas, I had just finished it today. I hope y'all enjoy.**

 ****Usual disclaimers apply** and OMGGGG! I'm excited for Extra Game!**

* * *

" _I'm going to watch your quarterfinals match, okay? Better do your best!"_

"I will. Make sure you won't be late though"

.

Akira hang up from her conversation with good old Mayumi. Having seen the opponent's video last night, Akira was already nervous about facing three people over 2 meters tall. Plus, she remembered Murasakibara from that finals match in junior high between Teiko and Meiko. Akira sat on her couch and began to ponder many things. She remembered seeing her father at the opening ceremony but since then, she hadn't seen him in the other games.

"Well it's typical if he'd only watch Rakuzan's games" she said to herself, half mockingly. "After all, he was once their team captain back then"

.

Then she suddenly thought too, of how she was going to break it to her father if he sees her play. This began to trouble her. She never really thought about it in a while until now.

.

"Crap, what do I do? And the team? When am I supposed to tell them?"

.

Akira buried her face in her hands after drinking from her coffee mug. It was still early in the morning and their match would be later at 5pm. What was she to do with her free time?

.

Akira stood up and changed into her sports gear, went out for a nice jog in the park. Thanks to the winter weather, wearing three layers of clothing didn't feel uncomfortable.

.

While jogging, she couldn't help but glance around her surrounding every once in a while, in case she'd have yet another unpleasant encounter with Akashi. Akira then realized that she was being too paranoid and the music from her earphones didn't help to soothe her mind. Maybe she should think more about the match later on? Last night, they had reviewed the footage from Yosen's games and everybody was intimidated by the fact that Yosen had prevented their opponents from the previous two games from scoring a single point. _Murasakibara, if I recall from junior high he was over 190 and…._ Akira's thoughts were interrupted when she was approached by a couple of girls her age who were also jogging around.

.

"Excuse me, Hayakawa-kun!"

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Akira pulled the earphones when she noticed the girls. "Uhm y-yeah, that's me"

.

"You were great against Morizono North yesterday!"

"We're from class C but we see you a lot on campus!"

.

Akira didn't understand why they were all "fangirly" over her when she didn't play so much during their game against Morizono. She probably only stayed for one quarter and scored two 3-pointers. The two girls asked for pictures and bid her good luck on later's game against Yosen.

 _._

 _Yosen… They have three players over 2 meters tall. Crap…_ Akira went back to running and remembering the video last night. When the vision of three players over 2 meters tall standing between her and the basket appeared, Akira stopped on her tracks.

.

"Well who f*cking cares if you're all nearly twice my height! I'll fight you!" She cried out with her clenched fists swinging in the air.

The people around her took a glance and laughed at her. Akira turned red and ran away while covering her face. She buried her face in her heads all the while until her phone vibrated inside her pocket. It was a call…

.

" _Hey Baka Akira! Where are you?"_

.

The shrill voice on the other end of her phone caused Akira to flinch.

.

"Mayumi, you don't have to yell at me all the time"

.

" _I've been ringing our doorbell for nearly 20 minutes now. I'm outside your place"_

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"I'm at the park. I went out for a jog. Well don't blame me because you didn't tell me you'd be coming early"

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" _Well I wanted to surprise you. Hurry back home now will yah? It's cold"_

.

"Fine, fine. Give me 15 minutes if I run"

.

" _Wait! Drop by the convenience store and buy some sweets. I left mine on the train because I was stupid and careless"_

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"Yes madam. What else?"

.

" _Do you have drinks at home?"_

.

"Barley tea, green tea, milk and water. That's all I have in the fridge. On second thought Mayumi-chan, I think I left a spare key hidden under my doormat"

.

Akira gave careful instructions to Mayumi regarding the keys, entering her home and where the drinks were. After hanging up, she made a run for the convenience store. A few minutes later, she came out with the snacks she could buy from the few cash she carried with her. Akira walked briskly so as not to keep Mayumi waiting long.

.

Just as she was about to cross the street, a black BMW with tinted windows swerved in and stopped right in front of her. Had it not been for her new-and-improved reflexes, she'd have taken a hit or worse. Akira managed to jump back but lost her balance and fell on her butt.

.

"What the f-"

.

Before she could react, the tinted window started rolling down and out came a familiar face. It was Kawakami Eriko-san, her father's secretary, who smiled apologetically at her.

.

"Akira-san, I'm terribly sorry about that. The driver's quite new"

"Ka-kawakami san? What are you doing here?"

.

Kawakami opened the car's door and grabbed Akira's hand, dropping her snacks in the process.

.

"Let's talk inside the car. We're in a hurry"

.

Once she was safely seated inside the car, the driver did his thing and sped off along the Tokyo streets. There was a moment of awkward silence inside.

.

"So, let's go back to where we left off. Do you know why I'm here, Akira san?" Kawakami smiled.

"Oto-san's business trip?"

.

Kawakami laughed. She looked really pretty especially when she smiled, Akira noticed. "You know he's here?"

.

"Well yeah. I saw him once, during the opening ceremony of the winter cup but I don't expect him to -"

.

Akira remembered that she had not told anyone else aside from her grandmother and Mayumi about her secret. She quickly covered her lips with both hands.

.

"Ahaha, it's all right Akira-san. I know your secret."

.

Akira removed her hands slowly and wondered how on earth her father's secretary knew (although she had let known her whereabouts and school, but not her secret double life)

.

"Akashi-kun, he sent me pictures of you. Well it looked like you. He asked to confirm if you attended Seirin high school, then showed me the pictures of the team's player #13. To be honest though, I had to look twice to realize it was you. I love your knew hair style by the way"

.

Guess there was no hiding now. Her secret let slip. "What about oto-san? Did you tell him?"

.

"Akira-san, I swear, I did not say a word to him. I was surprised when he summoned me last night and showed me pictures of you in action. I think that was against Touou Gakuen? He saw you play"

.

Akira was surprised, more on the fact that her father had watched Seirin's match. "He watched my game? Wait, how did he know I was playing for the team?"

.

Kawakami laughed one more time. "That, I do not know. He was rather calm in telling me that it was you, and that I was to find you today and bring you to him"

.

"Wait, what?! You're taking me to him?" Akira couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her father had asked to see her. This was a first!

.

The drive to her father's Tokyo office didn't seem so long. They had arrived in a matter of 15 minutes. Akira had already forgotten about Mayumi waiting inside her apartment. Despite living in Tokyo all this time, she had never known where her father's Tokyo headquarters was. When they had arrived, Akira was taken aback by the 8-storey glass building. It wasn't as tall as many of the buildings in the area, but it was only one of her father's sub branches. Her father's main headquarters was located in Kyoto.

.

"Akira-san, is this your first time here? Just keep close so that you won't get lost"

.

Akira stuck closely to Kawakami-san's side and watched her surroundings awkwardly.

.

They entered the elevator and within seconds, they entered the 7th floor where her father's office was located.

.

Akira followed closely, her heart suddenly beating faster than usual. Her palms grew sweaty and her body felt cold. Every step closer to the door of her father's office made her more nervous, until she finally heard the door click open.

.

"He's waiting for you inside, Akira-san" Kawakami motioned for her to step inside the office.

.

The nervous high school girl dressed in boyish running clothes slowly stepped in and scanned the office for her father. She saw him standing on one corner, facing the Tokyo view.

.

"G-good morning, oto-san" Akira greeted awkwardly, nervously tugging the bottom of her shirt.

.

Daisuke did not respond, only turning back to his chair and taking a seat. He rested his chin above his folded and hands.

.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there, or will you be taking a seat?" her father spoke sternly, his piercing eyes glaring.

.

Akira pulled the chair and took her seat. She kept her feet close to each other, her hands resting over her lap. She did not dare look up to meet his gaze.

.

"Care to explain yourself?" Daisuke said, throwing on the table the pictures of Akira in one of Seirin's games.

.

Akira flinched as she took a glance at the pictures on her father's desk. _Crap, I didn't think he'd find out so soon._

.

"You think that by dressing up like a boy, I wouldn't recognize you?" Daisuke managed to stay surprisingly calm.

.

No matter if her father had been asking her questions, Akira did not open her mouth to utter a single word. She continued to stare at her two feet on the floor. There was an uneasy dead silence between them.

.

"Will answer me or will you be staying quiet forever?"

.

Akira still didn't answer, but her hands were trembling.

.

"Are you an idiot? What did you possibly think you could gain, carrying my family name and acting as an impostor?"

 _._

 _Impostor, a person who deceives others by pretending to be someone else_. Akira thought of what her father had just said and recounted the day she had decided to be a man. Everything that happened since that day, all the people who believed she was who she pretended to be, except for the select few who knew her secret.

.

"I'm sorry" Akira started giggling. She giggled until finally bursting out in a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry" she said in between her laughs, wiping the tear off her eye.

.

Daisuke was taken aback by Akira's behavior.

.

"I'm sorry oto-san, I mean" she paused and looked at her father directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry Hayakawa-san. I thought there was something good that I could get by carrying your family name around. I'm sorry I honestly thought that I could get your approval if I could have been the son you'd never had. I mean, you're always comparing me to Akashi-kun and all, I thought maybe you'd recognize me if I became as good as him." Akira continued to laugh as she spoke.

.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Daisuke flinched, clenching his fist.

.

Akira laughed even harder, hugging her stomach. "I thought if I'd win the Winter cup with Seirin, you'd finally be proud of me. My teammates still think I'm a boy except for our Aida-san, Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun. Honestly, my motive at first was quite selfish but as the months had gone by, I'm beginning to find a whole better purpose for this whole fraud I'm living in."

.

"You were doing something this stupid just to get my attention?"

.

"Don't think so highly of yourself Hayakawa-san. I'm not doing this for you anymore. I love my teammates and I love basketball. I'm doing this for me and for them. I could care less what you think about me now"

.

"Don't speak to me with that tone! I'm sending you back to Osaka before you do anything else more stupid than this"

.

"What authority do you have over me?!" Akira suddenly lost her cool and nearly broke down a second.

.

"I'm your father and you'll-"

.

"Father?" She laughed. "Father you say? Since when? I don't recall you ever acting like one"

.

.

Everything happened rather quickly. Before Akira could say more, her father's palm came flying across her face. Her cheek swelled and it hurt her a bit but the thought of her father irked her more. She felt a bit confused with her next course of action – should she yell back at him or gather herself calmly and leave?

.

"It was oba-san who raised me. I don't recall you doing your job" she smiled eerily one last time at him.

.

With her last words, Akira stood up and took a bow at him. She thanked him for taking time to see her and she made her way out of the door, ignoring Daisuke's words. Once finally outside of her father's office, she saw Kawakami-san waiting outside with a look of worry on her face.

.

"Akira-san, is everything all right?"

"Everything's more than all right, Kawakami-san!" Akira forced a laugh to hide her breaking voice. "I, I'm glad we finally got to talk and clear things out. Though,"

.

Akira couldn't hold it in anymore and she broke down crying in Kawakami-san's arms. Her father's secretary embraced her gently. She felt bad for the crying girl whom she had known for 10 years while she worked for Daisuke.

.

"Let me give you a ride home. You still have a game, right?"

.

The same black car which brought her in was waiting outside. The ride to Akira's apartment was long and silent. Her eyes were puffy and red. She looked at her phone and saw the 13 missed calls from Mayumi. She didn't text back and instead, she closed her eyes and leaned on the window. The car had just arrived outside the apartment building when she opened her eyes once again. After thanking Kawakami-san for the ride, she made her way up to her floor. After opening her door, she was met by a panicked Mayumi who lunged at her and bawled her eyes out.

.

"I was worried sick about you! Idiot, where were you? What took you so long? And were you crying?! Your eyes are red!"

.

Mayumi helped her best friend back up on her feet and allowed her time to rest. She looked exhausted for some reason. When she felt that Akira had rested a bit now, she asked what happened. Akira took no second thoughts to explain everything that happened with her meeting her father in detail.

.

"You saw him?! He knows your secret?!"

.

Mayumi was back in her frantic state and she hugged Akira as tightly as she could. "Of course I would have liked it if you stayed in Osaka but I know you love it in Seirin so I'll support you. And if your father still won't acknowledge you, you can always change your family name to Ozora if you like. That way, we can be sisters! But don't hate yourself Aki-chan. You've got oba-san, you've got me and you've got your whole team. If they can't accept your true identity then I'll beat the crap out of all of them. You're my Aki-chan whether it's the Aki-chan I've known since junior high or the Aki-chan everyone else thinks you are."

.

Akira suddenly felt at ease after all that Mayumi had said. She sure can be so reliable at times.

.

"Mayumi-chan!" Akira cried out and hugged her best friend. "What did I do to deserve you?!"

.

"Baka!" Mayumi laughed, wiping the tear that had made its way down her cheek. "Stop talking nonsense. You still have a game tonight."

* * *

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Flash forward to Yosen vs Seirin**_

.

Seirin was inside their locker room, 10 minutes before the start of the game, where they were huddled up one more time.

.

"Don't be afraid of Yosen's height. We still have our own strengths and we won't back down without a fight!" Riko told her team

."Basketball ins't all about height. We can fight in many other ways and we've proven that by making it all the way to the quarterfinals. Now, we've got to make it all the way!" Hyuuga added boldly. "SEEEIRIIIN!"

"FIIIIIIGHT!" The rest of the team replied.

.

They made their way boldly into the court where they were greeted by loud cheers from the audience. Akira remembered her confrontation with her father earlier that day and felt even more the fire burning inside of her. She loved basketball now more than ever.

.

Yosen would prove to be a tough hurdle before reaching their end goal, which was to win the tournament. She knew that much when she saw her teammates being taken down mostly by Murasakibara himself. Even Kiyoshi, her idol, was down on one knee. Akira felt helpless watching her teammates, knowing she had nothing in comparison to their height and skill.

.

Akira felt a small hand pat her on the back. She looked to see who it was and saw Riko's eyes staring intensely at the game while holding onto her.

.

"You've gone a long way Hayakawa-kun. If we can't match them with height, we'll use other means. I'm putting you out as soon as we can"

.

Riko's voice sounded rather calm as compared to how her eyes looked. Akira was feeling nervous.

.

"Coach, why do I feel like I'm heading out to war? You're making me feel nervous"

"Because this whole tournament is a battle and only one will emerge the champions. Ah! Switch players!"

.

Riko found her time to switch players and called for the switch. Akira was coming as point guard for Izuki. Akira received the throw in from Kuroko.

.

Indeed her ball-handling skills had improved a whole lot since she first started playing. She was able to get the get the ball past two Yosen guards and do a fake pass from Kyoshi to Hyuuga. Unfortunately, Murasakibara easily blocked Hyuuga's attempt at a three-pointer.

.

"No matter what tricks you try, it won't work against me"

.

After Murasakibara had successfully slammed the ball away from Hyuuga, Akira made a run for it and position herself ready to shoot. As Murasakibara had not yet completely recovered from landing after jumping to block Hyuuga's shot, Akira thought she could make it instead.

 _._

 _BAM!_

.

A darkness fell above her. She could feel the heaviness behind her as she jumped for the shot. A large hand landed over the basketball and she could feel all the weight on her hands travel down to her whole body until the ball was pushed out of her possession.

.

She watched as the orange ball bounced away from her and into the opponent's possession. Yosen had already made a fast break but Akira couldn't believe it. She slowly turned around at the looming presence behind her and stood speechless and in shock.

 _._

 _Not only is he big, but he's fast too. What chance does speed have if he's got both speed and height already?_ Akira thought to herself. She began to fear Murasakibara now that she was up and close to him.

.

"You're so tiny, I could easily crush you" Murasakibara sneered at her, looking down at her small physique.

.

Akira looked up and met Murasakibara's lazy eyes. She felt her body tremble and shiver. It was as if Murasakibara's intense presence was crushing her – pushing her down to the floor.

.

"Hayakawa-kun don't mind!"

.

Akira snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Kiyoshi call out to her. She smacked her cheeks as hard as she could in order to wake herself up. _That was just one shot. Murasakibara can't possibly block everything. He'll eventually get tired because his body's heavy._ Akira thought to herself as she ran to help defend Seirin's basket.

 _._

 _._

 _Even titans must fall…_

.

.

.

After Kagami had landed his Meteor Jam to give Seirin a 1-point lead, Murasakibara had still managed to run across the court for a fast break. This was it. If he made the shot, the game would be over for Seirin. Yosen would win.

.

.

 _What was that story about a little man slaying a giant again?_

.

.

.

Murasakibara was unable to jump to make a shot. His body froze. His legs wouldn't work like they used to before (a/n: hahaha pop culture reference! Y'all know what it is)

 _._

 _No, it can't be. The hoop is right in front of me._ Murasakibara told himself. _I should just be able toss it in!_

.

As he was about to make a toss, a small figure ran towards him. A flash of blue light passed and the ball was slammed away from his hands. The buzzer went off with the score 73-72, Seirin taking the win.

.

The crowds roared. Seirin's bench rejoiced and huddled together in the middle of the court. Sweat and tears were mixed. They were now advancing to the Semifinals.

.

Akira, feeling beyond overjoyed, jumped behind Kuroko and hugged him as tight as she could. Of course, Kagami was vital in giving them the 1-point lead. Kuroko was surrounded with hugs from his teammates.

.

It was an exhausting game for everyone. Both teams lined up to congratulate each other.

.

In the crowd, Mayumi was crying and screaming along with Seirin's other supporters. She waved the "Go! Go! Aki-chan!" banner she had made.

.

"After this, we've got an interview with a local magazine. You guys better man up" Riko laughed, patting her players on the shoulder.

.

.

.

* * *

As they made their way out of the court so that the next game could start, Akira looked up the bleachers and saw Akashi with his team. Their eyes met once again. He smirked at hear and mouthed out some words Akira couldn't make out.

.

"I hope to see you in the finals" Akashi said, his voice only audible to him.

.

Akira only looked at him with determined eyes. She so badly wanted to raise her middle finger at him and tell him to f*ck off but that was too inappropriate for the time being. Facing him in the finals would be the best revenge.

 **.  
.**

* * *

 **Thank you for your patience and stay tuned for more!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **.**

 **I'm Back! Hahahaha I always say that after every update but yeah, I'm back after several thoughts of ending this. I'm reeeeally sorry to have kept y'all waiting so long. Even after graduation, I was still kept busy. I still hope to give more time into this as I enter Med School in a few weeks. THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR READERS!**

 **.**

 **(C) I do NOT own KNB**

 **.**

* * *

"CONGRATULATIONS AKI-CHAAAAN!" Mayumi ran to greet her victorious best friend and her team, with tears like a child's.

.

Snot was also dripping from her nose but Mayumi could care less of how she looked. She was proud of Akira and Seirin.

.

"Ahaha, Mayumi-chan, you've got snot all over my jacket" Akira whined, but she hugged her best friend nonetheless. She too was over the moon at the moment. Never did she doubt her teammates' capacity.

.

Mayumi continued to bawl like a child and congratulated her best friend nonstop. Akira decided to invite her to stay and watch the next game with them.

.

"Where's Kagami-kun?" Akira asked, suddenly noticing their missing ace

"He went to smooth some things out with Himuro-san. He'll join us in a while" Kuroko replied

.

.

The teams that had landed a spot in the semifinals were Rakuzan, Shutoku and just now, Seirin. The winner between Kaijo and Fukuda Sogo would determine who takes the final spot.

.

As the game was about to commence, Mayumi noticed Kise Ryota coming in late and quickly getting changed whilst being scolded by their captain.

.

"Aki-chan, isn't that blondie from the same middle school as Akashi-kun?" Mayumi asked in hushed whispers

"Kise Ryota" Akira nodded.

.

.

.

"Uwaaah! That was an intense match! So Seirin will be playing Kaijo huh?"

"Yeah it looks like it" Akira smiled at the thought of being so close to the finals.

.

The two girls walked home to Akira's apartment together under the cold winter night sky. Mayumi amused herself with the puffs of smoke that emerged from her mouth as she breathed and spoke. While she did that, Akira was looking rather pensive and in deep thought. Mayumi debated to herself whether or not she would disturbed her, but she chose the latter instead and left Akira to her deep thoughts.

.

A futon was set on the floor for Mayumi to sleep in. As Mayumi tucked herself in, she glanced at the digital clock beside Akira's bed. _11:55 pm, huh?_

.

"Aki-chan, are you awake?" Mayumi muttered underneath the sheets.

"Yeah. Why are you awake?"

"I should ask you the same"

.

The two girls giggled at themselves. Since Mayumi had sensed the nervousness in Akira's voice so she decided to reminisce on their junior high school. It had been a while since Akira talked about her middle school days since she couldn't share them to just anybody in school.

.

.

"Hey Mayumi-chan, do you still remember how we became friends?" Akira muttered, smiling to herself.

"How could I forget?" she laughed. "We met during tryouts but it wasn't until a couple of weeks later that we started talking to each other. If it wasn't for me spilling my lunch all over you, maybe we never would have been friends"

.

The two girls laughed again as they recalled that time vividly. It made Akira miss being a girl a little. She sort of missed her long silver locks that she used to tie in twin braids. Then it came to her thoughts again, what would she do after the Winter Cup? Would she reveal the truth to everyone or would she remain who _she_ is at the moment.

.

It was half past 1 in the morning and Akira suddenly woke up and found herself unable to go back to sleep. For some strange reason, she was compelled to get out of bed and go out to the kitchen.

.

"Well I'm not hungry, am I?" she muttered to herself, staring at the sandwiches inside her refrigerator.

.

She decided to go out for a walk in the cold dawn. Taking out her team jacket and scarf with her, she headed out.

.

It was dark but some lights were visible across the area. After all, Tokyo doesn't sleep no matter how far you are from the city's center.

.

Despite her getup, the cold breeze still managed to find its way through the layers of clothing she had. She shivered a little and quickened her pace. Where was she going? She herself wasn't sure why she went out for a walk or where she planned on going.

.

As she walked past the houses and shops, she found herself standing on a basketball court. It was empty and there wasn't any ball she could use to practice.

.

"Oh well," she sighed heavily and took a seat on one of the concrete benches at the side. "It's past 2 am. This is my first time out here at this time" she mumbled to herself with a smile.

.

"Can't sleep too, huh?"

.

Akira almost leapt out of the bench she was sitting on when somebody spoke to her and tapped her shoulder. When she turned around, she didn't expect to see that person also having the same dilemma as her. So much more to see that person at this very moment of all places.

.

"K-Kiyoshi senpai?! What are you doing here?" Akira yelped from where she sat.

.

"I usually go out for a walk in this part when I can't sleep. I didn't know you lived near my place"

.

Akira was greeted with a grinning Kiyoshi, sticking his hands in the pockets of his thick jacket coat. Kiyoshi took a seat right next to her, close enough their elbows brushed off each other.

.

"It's past 2 am senpai" Akira looked in disbelief

.

"I think I should ask you the same Hayakawa-kun" Kiyoshi replied, with his signature wide grin. He soon noticed that Akira's cheeks were tinted pink.

.

Akira couldn't fathom once again the warm feeling swelling up to her face. She prayed her body wouldn't betray her and show any obvious signs. _Wait, I thought I'd gotten over this…_

.

"Hayakawa-kun, your cheeks are red. Are you feeling sick?"

.

Akira wanted to retreat back when Kiyoshi leaned over to touch her forehead with his. The close proximity of their faces was enough to give Akira a heart attack. She could feel a warm puff of his breath as he spoke.

.

"I-I'm fine thanks!" She squealed and pulled back, her voice cracking in the process. Kiyoshi blinked in bewilderment.

.

As she managed to give some space between them, she clutched onto her poor heart beating wildly as if it was ready to break through her ribcage. Puffs of smoke could be seen as she gasped.

.

"It's getting colder and colder, isn't it? Why don't we get coffee?"

.

The taller upperclassman stood up and extended his hand to his kouhai, lips still grinning like a child's. Akira couldn't help but stare at her senior's outstretched hand before looking him back in the eye.

.

"I know a convenience store nearby. They're open 24 hours" he insisted.

.

Akira ignored the cold she felt when she touched Kiyoshi's hand and followed suit. The two made their way as quickly as they could, to escape the harsh winter breeze, hand-in-hand. They entered the convenience store, giggling and gasping for air. It looked like they had broken a sweat to escape the cold.

.

"That last gust of wind was cruel, wasn't it?"

Akira nodded in agreement, too out of breath to say a word as she gasped for air. She pulled her hand away from Kiyoshi's grasp and clutched onto her chest.

The two of them enjoyed a cup of warm coffee each, and each other's company. There were only a couple of other people inside the store, also enjoying a cup of coffee. One was busy reading a book, while the other was simply drinking coffee.

.

.

After a while, Kiyoshi cleared his throat rested his chin above his hands. He still had a smile on his face, but this time, it wasn't his usual childish smile. He looked more mature somehow, in Akira's thoughts.

.

"Hayakawa-kun, I need to ask you something. Would you be completely honest with me?"

.

Akira was at first taken aback by her senpai's question. She felt slightly nervous because of it. What could he possibly ask her? And why did he look so serious? She didn't respond audibly per se, but she did give him a slow nod.

.

"I have a question about you" Kiyoshi started, slowly swirling the coffee in its cup.

.

There was a short pause in the air.

.

"Who are you really?"

.

Akira's eyes widened in shock at his question. She almost choked on her drink as she swallowed hard. Kiyoshi was staring intently into her eyes as he waited patiently for an answer.

.

.

.

* * *

 **Kiyoshi has his doubts? I wonder what they are! Haha keep posted for more! Sorry for this short chappie though.**

 **BUT I CAN NEVER THANK YOU DEAR READERS ENOUGH FOR YOUR PATRONAGE!**

 **.**

 **Stay healthy guys! I love you all**


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